Volume 100: Case reports: should they be confined to the dustbin?

Abstract

Since time immemorial, editorial boards have agonized about publishing case reports in their journals. Will they denigrate the standards of their journal and most importantly, will they have a disadvantageous effect on their impact factor? The agony continues as most of us enjoy reading a tale of horror (especially if we do not experience it first hand). It must be acknowledged that case reports attract readers, often clinicians, who may not, alas, look at other parts of the British Journal of Anaesthesia in the same detail. But most importantly, a case report should only be published if it adds to our knowledge or improves our practice. Tales of woe, especially followed by the death of a patient, are insufficient.