Medical Malpractice

• Cluster Cancer Outbreaks

  Lauren Ellerman | October 25, 2007 9:01 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Did you see the movie Erin Brokovitch? The Julia Robert's movie where small plaintiff firm takes on polluter because children in a small town are getting cancer at alarming rates. It was based on a true story, and it seems we haven't learned our lesson. Today the AP printed an article on Cancer in community north of Philadelphia. Elevated Cancer Level Found in Pa. MICHAEL RUBINKAM writes The...

• Sprint Fidelis Pacemaker Had Problems Last Winter

  Joe Saunders | October 25, 2007 8:13 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Medtronic, the manufacturer of the Sprint Fidelis cardiac defibrillator a.k.a. pacemaker, knew that its medical device had problems with fractured lead wires last winter, according to consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. These defects were reported to the government last winter. According to Dr. Sidney Wolfe, the FDA had received 599 reports of defibrillator malfunctions as of January 10,...

• Medical Malpractice Insurance: What is Happening in Florida

  Dan Frith | October 24, 2007 2:25 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  Talk with almost any doctor and they will quickly tell you that they are forced to practice defensive medicine due to the fear of being sued. With the next breath they will tell you the cost of their malpractice coverage is outrageous and the result of greedy patients and their medical malpractice lawyers who are too quick to sue! Take these complaints with a grain of salt!Let's look at...

• Sex Offenders in Nursing Homes - You Have To Be Kidding!

  Dan Frith | October 23, 2007 1:58 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  I cannot believe it! We place our elderly and infirm family members in a nursing home so they will be watched over and taken care of in a safe and supportive environment. No one would ever think that those same family members are at risk for being sexually assaulted! Right? Unfortunately, I'm wrong!Convicted sex offender Dennis Strong will spend at least his next eight months in far less...

• Mistakes in Surgeries

  Glenn Phillips | October 23, 2007 8:23 AM | 0 CommentsEverett, WA

  Over the past year, hospitals in Washington left "foreign objects" in 36 surgery patients. And 21 people got surgery on the wrong body parts. Hospitals have reported such "adverse events" to the state Department of Health since 2000, also including performing surgery on the wrong patient, and medication errors that can kill or seriously harm patients. But now the Washington State Hospital...

• West Boca Family Sues for Medical Malpractice

  Shannon Weidemann | October 22, 2007 11:22 PM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  A woman died after undergoing a c-section and her family sued the hospital and doctor they felt was responsible for her death. The jury found in favor of the doctor in the medical malpractice case. The family had been asking for $10 Million in damages. Susan Special, 38, died in June 2003 after a Caesarean section. Moments after Nicholas was born, she suffered a seizure, went into cardiac...

• Medtronic Defibrillator Leads Recalled

  Shannon Weidemann | October 22, 2007 9:29 PM | 0 CommentsColorado Springs, CO

  Defibrillator leads that connect an implanted defibrillator have been recalled. The defective medical device is made by Medtronic and may cause the device to function incorrectly. The name of the product is Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads. The FDA has advised patients who are implanted with this recalled Medtronic defibrillator lead or do not know the model of their lead, to...

• Nursing Home Deaths Due to Improper Insulin Injection

  Jennifer Moore | October 22, 2007 7:33 PM | 0 CommentsLouisville, KY

  Two elderly women recently died at Parkway Medical Center due to a reaction to an insulin injection. The women did not have diabetes. Parkway Medical Center is a long-term nursing care facility. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services reported that Parkway believes it was error or "purposeful malicious administration of insulin." The Attorney General's office is investigating. Insulin is...

• Hospital and Nursing Home Residents at Greatest Risk for MRSA Infections

  Dan Frith | October 22, 2007 8:54 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  A study released earlier this week suggests that most invasive, severe disease from MRSA infection is associated with health care delivery and occurs in people with underlying illness. The study's publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association coincided with news accounts of MRSA infections in schools around the nation, often among student athletes.The MRSA study suggests the...

• Failure to Plead Sufficient Facts - The New Legal Malpractice?

  Geoff Trachtenberg | October 21, 2007 3:48 PM | 0 CommentsScottsdale, AZ

  There's a new case out this week from Division Two, Cullen v. Koty-Leavitt Insurance, which deals with the reasonable expectations doctrine in the UIM setting. The case is not particularly fascinating from a substantive perspective, but it raises questions about potential legal malpractice exposure.In sum, Cullen filed a UIM claim based upon the fact that his family was given the right to...