Medical Malpractice

• Spinal Anesthesia Results In Paraplegia

  Bob Carroll | September 25, 2005 4:44 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  "Does the evidence support the use of spinal and epidural anesthesia for surgery?"This is the question asked in the excellent medical journal article just published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia atVolume 17 • Number 5 • August 2005.Spinal anesthesia can result in bleeding into the epidural space which, if not diagnosed and treated within a very short window of time, may lead...

• Doctor Must Ask Right Questions Even If The Patient Speaks Spanish

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 11:08 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A breakdown in communications between an obstetrician and a Spanish-speaking pregnant mother may have resulted in injuries to a newborn child in the Florida case of TORRES v. SULLIVAN, 2D03-5227 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 2005).The standard of care provided to an expectant mother regarding delivery should not be lowered because she does not speak English. Nor should the expectant mother be expected to...

• Errors In Medication Histories

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 5:59 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  According to an article published in the August 30, 2005, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ. 2005;173:510-515)the medication histories obtained at the time of admission are frequently erroneous or incomplete. And, the error and omissions are potentially very harmful.Conclusion: accurate medication histories at the time of hospital admission are an important element of...

• MRSA Diagnosis & Treatment Delayed

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 5:29 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Reuters Health reports that MRSA infections which are spreading in hospitals are not being recognized or treated as promptly as it should."NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even with early therapy, infection-related mortality from nosocomial bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia (NBSAP) is high, according to a report in the September issue of Chest. [Nosocomial is a fancy word for "acquired in...

• Death By Duragesic

  Bob Carroll | September 21, 2005 4:06 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A patient in Tampa Bay who was provided prescriptions by his treating physician for over twice the proper number of Duragesic Patches, in increasingly more potent doses, was found dead by his wife on his living room couch in Florida.Had the doctor taken his patient on a downward spiral of narcotic addiction and dependence...?The medical records of the prescribing doctor held the answer to this...

• Negligent Treatment of Diabetes

  Bob Carroll | September 19, 2005 5:04 PM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  More and more Americans are being treated for diabetes each year. But, are they being properly treated? Or, are preventable complications, such as blindness, occurring unnecessarily?Government statistics show that “as many as 24,000 Americans go blind each year from preventable complications of diabetes,” according to Patrick A. Malone...More and more Americans are being treated...

• Off-Label Prescriptions: Another Name For Malpractice?

  Bob Carroll | September 19, 2005 7:32 AM | 1 CommentTampa Bay, FL

  Would you want to serve as an ignorant guinea pig in a totally unstructured drug experiment the next time you visit your physician? ...The explanations of the practice of off-label prescribing by medical providers are often very simple and direct. Basically, from the providers’ perspective, it is a necessary tool to more properly treat a medical condition. Unfortunately, bad things happen to...