Fatal drug reactions in patients admitted to surgical services.

In a defined group of 10,281 generally healthy inpatients admitted to surgical services, two deaths were identified as being due in part to an adverse effect of a drug, for a rate of 0.19 drug-related dealths/1,000 surgical patients (approximate 95 per cent confidence limits, 0.02 to 0.71/1,000). Both deaths occurred in women more than sixty years old and were due to hemorrhage associated with heparin therapy.