Medical Malpractice

• Doctors Get Immunity - Victims of Medical Malpractice Get the Shaft

  Jack Landskroner | December 14, 2006 9:19 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  The Ohio Supreme Court issued its opinion this week in Theobald .v University of Cincinnati, granting blanket immunity from liability to physicians for their negligent acts when the medical malpractice occurs while the physician is teaching medical students or residents of a state medical school. It makes no difference whether the doctor is being paid privately or whether the doctor is acting...

• Prescription Label Error Shakes up Mom

  Christina Cole | December 13, 2006 8:05 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Becky Vanderlinden was quite surprised last week when she noticed the dose instructions on the bottle of antibiotics for her toddler. The toddler received five times the dose of antibiotics that her doctor had prescribed. Vanderlinden had called the pharmacy to check the dosage and was told that it was indeed correct - but the label was wrong. "I thought, "This seems like a huge amount of...

• Is a Hospital's "Death Rate" a Valid Stat?

  Ben Glass | December 13, 2006 4:51 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  Not according to a new study published by University of Pennsylvania researchers and reported in today's on-line edition of the Houston Chronicle.Apparently when you see a study comparing death rates the "best" hospitals are only marginally better than the "worst." The study looked at results from 3,657 hospitals nationwide.Looking at heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia, deaths were only...

• Lack of Sleep Can Lead To Medical Mistakes

  Paul Grieco | December 13, 2006 2:36 PM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  A recent study has indicated that medical residents who are required to work long shifts and are often sleep deprived, put patients at risk of being the victim of a medical mistake. Allowing medical residents to practice medicine after having been awake for over 18 -24 hours straight, jeopordizes patients as the lack of sleep affects ones abilty to think clearly. Researchers found that when...

• Doctor must Pay $9M for Patient Death

  Christina Cole | December 13, 2006 1:33 AM | 0 CommentsBirmingham, AL

  A Miami-Dade Circuit Court jury has held a Miami Doctor liable for $9 million dollars in damages in the death of a patient. The case involves Dr. Carmel Barrau. Jessie Sturdivant was his patient in 1999. On Thursday, Jay Cohen, of the Miami firm of Grossman and Roth won the judgment on behalf of Sturdivant's wife. The attorney said his next step is to file a bad faith claim against Barrau's...

• Deadlocked Jury in Olesky Malpractice Case

  Christina Cole | December 13, 2006 1:18 AM | 0 CommentsWichita, KS

  A Collier County jury was deadlocked today after 2.5 days of deliberation in a medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit involves two local physicians and a physician assistant in the death of Ann Olesky, before her death in 2004.The jury of four women and two men were sent back into deliberations by the Judge. The defendants are Dr. Dennis Stapleton, a cardiothoracic surgeon...

• Study Shows Long Hospital Shifts and Sleep Deprivation Cause Deaths in Hospitals

  Scott Smith | December 12, 2006 4:36 PM | 0 CommentsColumbus, OH

  A recent Harvard Medical School study found long hospital shifts and sleep deprivation resulted in fatigue related mistakes and increased harm to patients by 700%. Residents who worked five marathon shifts (24 hours or longer) in a single month directly correlated with making errors that in turn increased the risk of death by 300%.The study included the fact that medical residents are regularly...

• Are Sleepy Doctors Malpractice Waiting to Happen?

  Robert Wolf | December 12, 2006 3:42 PM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Imagine yourself as a hospital patient. Your doctor walks in and lets out a long yawn. When you ask why he is so tired, he admits to working nonstop for the last 24 hours. He says that he works these marathon shifts many times a month.Should you be concerned for your safety? Increasing evidence suggests yes. Physicians who work marathon shifts -- those longer than 24 hours -- can cause real harm...

• Off Label Use of Drug Eluting Stents Carries Increased Risks

  Jamie Sheller | December 12, 2006 1:57 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  According to the FDA, off-label use of drug-eluting stents carries an increased risk of thrombosis, myocardial infarction and death. An FDA advisory panel recommended changing the labels of such stents. The two approved devices are Cypher (sirolimus-eluting) and Taxus (paclitaxel-eluting). Approximately 60% of the three million drug-eluting stents implanted in Americans, are off-label. In...

• Nobody Should Send An Impaired Driver Onto The Highway

  Bob Carroll | December 12, 2006 5:33 AM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  If an employer sends a drunk employee off the worksite knowing he would likely drive home, should the boss be liable if the drunk employee does what drunk drivers often do, crosses the center line and kills an oncoming motorist? My answer is yes. If a doctor discharges a hospital patient knowing that his medical condition and medications would make him an unsafe driver without warning the...