Medical Malpractice

• Pharmacy Mistakes Kill

  Dan Frith | February 13, 2008 6:13 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  My law firm is getting ready to try a case against a local pharmacy which filled and dispensed a doctor's prescription for medication to which our client was allergic. You may ask, "Why did the client take a medication to which she knew she was allergic"? The answer is that she was given the generic form of the drug - the pills did not look the same and the generic name was no where close to...

• Your elected officials - taking away your rights!

  Lauren Ellerman | February 05, 2008 2:05 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  I wish this were a joke - but right now, as I type, your elected officials may be drafting laws that limit your rights in nursing home and medical malpractice cases.In Tennessee, a law is being considered that would forbid nursing home residents from filing suit for negligence - In Virginia, there is a Bill in the House that would allow doctor defendants to offer settlement amount, and if the...

• Actor John Ritter's Death Spurs Lawsuit

  Dan Frith | February 04, 2008 10:48 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Comic actor John Ritter's widow says a wrongful death lawsuit going to trial Monday is more about seeking accountability and educating the public about the condition that killed him than the $67 million in damages she is seeking from two doctors.On Sept. 11, 2003, his daughter's fifth birthday, Ritter experienced severe nausea and vomiting and went to went to nearby St. Joseph's Medical Center...

• Heart Attack In A Casino is Safer Than In The Hospital

  Dan Frith | January 08, 2008 6:46 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Pretty outrageous isn't it! Can the above title be true? Yes, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.If you have a heart attack in an airport, or even a casino, there is a 50% chance you survive, compared to just one third if your heart attack takes place at a US hospital, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It seems that all too often patients...

• Detecting Breast Cancer

  Dan Frith | December 12, 2007 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  We all know how important it is to detect breast cancer early before it metastasizes into surrounding tissue. Frankly put, the earlier the diagnosis ...the earlier the treatment...the greater the likelihood of a good outcome! One tool used by doctors to make that early diagnosis is the mammogram. The scary part of the story is how frequently doctors (radiologists) misread this diagnostic...

• Politics and Healthcare

  Lauren Ellerman | November 26, 2007 11:00 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  How will our next President feel about tort reform? Medicare? Health insurance for all? What about healthcare in children - will they have a plan?So many candidates, so many ideas... and yes, they are only ideas. You can say that Gov. Romney, or Sen. Clinton have plans, but it takes a few in congress to make that plan a reality.This morning I heard an interesting feature on NPR about national...

• Illinois Judge Rejects Medical Malpractice Cap

  Dan Frith | November 19, 2007 11:57 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Here is the debate: Lawyers for the victims of medical malpractice say caps on damages work a terrible disadvantage to the most seriously injured patients - those who will live a lifetime of pain and physical limitations. Medical providers claim they need the protection in order to keep their malpractice premiums at a level they can afford. I have two responses: First, excessive malpractice...

• Intubation

  Lauren Ellerman | November 17, 2007 10:17 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Intubation is the insertion of a tube into the patient's airway to allow mechanical ventilation.Car accident victims, someone with swollen airway, difficult breathing - most EMT's, flight nurses, and emergency room physicians know how to create an airway to allow for breathing. You may have even heard urban legends of someone using ball point pens to create airways.They are often required - yet...

• Coumadin - scary medicine!

  Lauren Ellerman | November 16, 2007 10:10 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  We have seen many coumadin cases over the years. Post surgery, failure to prescribe, and embolism occurs - causing stroke, death etc. We also see cases where the medication is not properly monitored or levels regulated. It is a difficult medication to prescribe and monitor, but often we see doctors simply forget to prescribe it, or assume another doctor already has.Illinois Hospital settles such...

• Thinking About Back Surgery? I Suggest You Wait!

  Dan Frith | November 13, 2007 9:50 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  I am 50 years old and starting to feel it! You know...those everyday aches and pains. This past summer I injured my back while exercising and ended up with pain and numbness shooting down my leg and couldn't get comfortable sitting, standing, or lying down for extended periods of time. My doctors did not recommend surgery and for that I am grateful. A few weeks of rest and medication did the...