- Dan Frith | March 31, 2008 8:34 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeWe wrote a short blog a couple of days ago on the tragic death of Stephanie Kuleba, an 18 year old who died from malignant hyperthermia, a known complication of anesthesia, after corrective reconstructive breast surgery in Boca Raton, Florida. The sad story of the unnecessary death of an 18 year old from complications at an outpatient surgery clinic motivated me to write my blog. The purpose...
- Dan Frith | March 29, 2008 6:55 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsKudos to Maine's Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings! He is sponsoring a bill that would create a state registry of homes that have been declared lead-free, so that people with children can make sure the home they're buying is safe.And Speaker Cummings knows something about the effects of lead paint on children....His son was diagnosed with lead poisoning about a decade ago. Lead poisoning...
- Dan Frith | March 28, 2008 6:06 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeYou have already probably heard the sad story about the Florida teenager who died due to complications from anesthesia during corrective breast augmentation surgery. Stephanie Kuleba, age 18, was having outpatient corrective breast augmentation surgery last week in the offices of Dr. Steven Schuster in Boca Raton when she developed the symptoms of malignant hyperthermia after receiving...
- Lauren Ellerman | March 27, 2008 11:10 AM |
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MiscellaneousWashington Post reported today, that a study of more than 6000 people, found the more fat people have in their bellies in their mid 40's, the greater their chances of dementia.Apparently, a "large belly independent of total weight is a potent predictor of dementia."WOW - I am sort of amazed. Surely there is a more scientific reason for this - maybe, fat or clogged arteries, or obesity causes...
- Lauren Ellerman | March 27, 2008 9:58 AM |
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MiscellaneousWallstreet Journal reported today that the FDA has proposed tougher clinical guidelines for drug coated stents, in response to concerns that stents have unknown side effects. The new regulations require follow up data be submitted to the FDA 1 and 2 years after implant.Well I believe that more data could be helpful - but here is the odd part - FDA guidelines ARE NOT legally binding. It may help...
- Dan Frith | March 27, 2008 6:27 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA Rhode Island jury in 2006 found three companies -- Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries, Inc. and Millennium Holdings LLC -- liable for creating a public nuisance by manufacturing a product that continues to poison children. The state filed the lawsuit against the manufacturers alleging that they had created a public nuisance by selling and promoting lead pigment for use in paint in Rhode...
- Dan Frith | March 26, 2008 10:59 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe television ad closed the deal in 2004! The image of trusted doctors in white coats trooping out of Nevada to flee high malpractice insurance rates bombarded voters, who overwhelmingly decided to cap the amount of money juries could award victims of botched medical procedures. The bitter fight, marked by twisted statistics and emotional hyperbole, pitted doctors against trial lawyers -- and...
- Dan Frith | March 25, 2008 6:23 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseThere is a disturbing trend sweeping the American landscape for nursing homes. The era of small facilities run by a single family and operating out love and concern for the frail and elderly is long gone. Today, your mother's nursing home is probably part of a 20 or 30 facility chain. The corporate owners live in another state and there primary concern is making money...not taking care of...
- Dan Frith | March 24, 2008 10:57 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeBy now most Americans have read something about the medication errors which almost cost actor Dennis Quaid and his wife the ultimate loss....the death of their twins due to a medication error (heparin overdose) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.Medication errors happen daily - it is part of the "grab and go" culture in busy hospitals. What can be done to reduce this...
- Dan Frith | March 22, 2008 6:02 AM |
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MiscellaneousHow about this story line? A growing number of America's hospitals are reusing medical devices labeled as single-use. The items include everything from scissors to sharp saw blades used by surgeons to cut through bones. Does this bother you? It should!Even the manufacturers of single-use medical devices are against reusing the devices. Why? Because the devices are not designed for multiple...
- Dan Frith | March 21, 2008 6:56 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseWe often see recommendations for the use of a feeding tube (PEG tube) from Medical Directors at nursing homes for residents who have difficulty eating and swallowing. Granted, an individual cannot long survive without adequate nutrition and hydration. However, the use of a feeding tube is often used as a substitute for an insufficient number of feeding assistants or nursing aides. By...
- Dan Frith | March 20, 2008 6:13 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseWhy does the state of Tennessee spend $1.2 billion for long-term care? That amount is 98 percent of the Tenncare (Tennessee's equivalent of Medicaid) budget, which ranks Tennessee last nationally in its funding mix of nursing homes versus home and community-based care, according to the TennCare Bureau. Why? Do you think money could be at the root of such spending?How did Tennessee get on the...
- Dan Frith | March 19, 2008 6:31 AM |
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MiscellaneousAdmit it...we all want to look and feel younger and liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries performed in America. The problem for surgeons who conduct the procedure is that more and more people are choosing non-surgical procedures such as light treatments and facial antiwrinkle injectables. The surgeons...seeing a decrease in profitability...have come up with a new procedure...
- Dan Frith | March 18, 2008 2:10 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeOkay...you may ask, "what is the connection between actor Dennis Quaid and medical malpractice?" Good Question and here is the answer...Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, were blessed last year with the birth of twins, Thomas and Zoe. However, within a few days of coming home, the twins showed signs of a having a staph infection and doctors recommended they be admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital for...
- Dan Frith | March 17, 2008 9:38 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeI previously blogged (February 4 and 19) on comic actor John Ritter's wrongful death malpractice lawsuit going to trial. The suit, filed by Ritter's widow, sought $67 million in damages from two of her deceased husband's treating doctors. In summary, Ritter experienced severe nausea and vomiting and went to went to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, California. Ritter's cardiologist, and...
- Dan Frith | March 17, 2008 6:07 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a joke. This federal agency is charged with making sure the food and drugs we receive are safe and effective. How well has the FDA done its job?Well...how about having 19 people die and hundreds becoming ill after being given heparin, a blood-thinning drug sold by Baxter International. A belated inspection of the Chinese plant where heparin's active...
- Dan Frith | March 16, 2008 12:54 PM |
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MiscellaneousWhat is happening in America? Employers, pharmaceutical companies, nursing homes, healthcare providers, and hospitals are all trying to prevent being held legally accountable! As an example, how about this situation in Alabama?Fonza Luke had worked as a nurse for Baptist Health System's Princeton Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, for 26 years when the human resources department summoned...
- Lauren Ellerman | March 11, 2008 11:35 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseIn 2 years, I have read about, or known families who have suffered the following:Loved one falls and breaks neck while in shower room, unattendedLoved one falls down two flights of stairs, while strapped into wheelchairLoved one falls while eloping from nursing home, out front door, and to the parking lotLoved one falls down back stairs of nursing home, after leaving "locked" exterior doorLoved...
- Lauren Ellerman | March 10, 2008 11:20 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseWe hear about it all the time - over medicating dementia patients. Why? To curb combative behavior? Make them easier to control? It is a sad state when an elderly person is given anti-psychotic medications, before an exam is done to determine what other problems would cause aggressive behavior.In Minnesota, nearly 8 percent of people 80 and older are given anti psychotic drugs -- six times the...
- Dan Frith | March 03, 2008 9:31 AM |
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MiscellaneousAll families fear their mother, father, or other loved one who has been placed in a nursing home will not be well taken care of. We worry about falls and if they are getting enough protein in their diet and if are getting enough fluids to prevent dehydration. If they cannot move about by themselves, we worry they may develop pressure sores or decubitus ulcers if the nursing staff fails to...
- Dan Frith | March 02, 2008 6:55 AM |
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Nursing Home & Elder AbuseMost people are familiar with physical restraints. These safety devices include bed rails, lap buddies, Geri-chairs, and wrist restraints. These devices are used to prevent injury to the resident or others. But what about "chemical restraints?" Have you ever heard of them?Chemical restraints are medications used by the nursing home to "control" active residents. They are psychotropic...
- Dan Frith | March 01, 2008 6:04 AM |
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MiscellaneousWe were all told by our parents not to be a "tattletale" but I just read a report which bothers me. Eric Campbell of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston surveyed 1,600 doctors in 2003 and 2004 and his report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is disturbing.Approximately 96 percent of the doctors surveyed agreed they should report all instances of...