Medical Malpractice

• Heart Device by Thoratec Recalled

  Shannon Weidemann | November 11, 2007 3:28 PM | 0 CommentsNew Haven , CT

  A heart assistance device manufactured by Thoratec has been recalled because the device may function incorrectly. The defective medical device has been used at 87 hospitals in the United States and around the world since 2004. The device is surgically implanted in patients and it may become bent. Thoratec notified the hospitals of potential problem in an Oct. 19 recall notification letter,...

• Merck to Pay $4.85 Billion!

  Dan Frith | November 10, 2007 6:25 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  New Jersey-based Merck, the maker of the painkiller Vioxx, has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits in one of the largest civil cases ever. The proposed settlement becomes binding only if the majority of those plaintiffs agree to drop their cases. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say Merck misled patients about the safety of Vioxx. Merck pulled Vioxx from the market Sept. 30,...

• Vioxx Maker To Pay $4.85 Billion

  Beth Janicek | November 09, 2007 4:54 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  Merck, the maker of Vioxx agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle more than 26,000 lawsuits. The settlement will becomes final only if 85% of the Plaintiffs agree to drop their suits. Additionally, Merck still will face approximately 265 potential class-action lawsuits by people or family members who say Vioxx has injured or caused death to its users. For more information on this subject, please...

• Increased risk of wrongful death blamed on Trasylol drug

  Anneke Kurt | November 09, 2007 4:40 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  A recent Canadian study showed that the drug Trasylol, used during heart surgeries to control bleeding, could cause an increased risk for wrongful death, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp., the makers of Trasylol, have suspended sales and will slowly pull the drug off of shelves. Our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys see the overwhelming effects...

• Medical Malpractice Reform Does Not Deliver in Texas

  Steve Klearman | November 08, 2007 1:13 PM | 0 CommentsReno, NV

  Rural Texas is still waiting for the doctors tort reform was supposed to deliver. This comes from the American Association of Justice quoting Suzanne Batchelor writing for the Texas Observer:The flood of beguiling baby photographs began cascading into mailboxes across Texas as the 2003 fall election drew near. Gracing the cover of a slick brochure, the infant smiled as a stethoscope--held by an...

• Harvard Study Finds Malpractice Suits Not Frivolous

  Ed Van Dorn | November 06, 2007 1:55 PM | 0 CommentsVermont, VT

  Contrary to what the insurance industry, the medical industry and the Bush Administration would have you believe about so-called :"frivolous lawsuits" , a study by the Harvard School of Public Health found just the opposite. This prestigious institution dedicated to improving the pubic health through learning, investigation and communication studied a random sampling of 1,452 closed medical...

• Hospital Acquired Infections

  Dan Frith | November 06, 2007 1:01 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  The news is full of reports of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) - a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection found in schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. The same reports stress better personal hygiene including hand-washing, gloves and masks where appropriate. But what if you are about to enter a hospital for an elective operation - don't you want to know how the...

• R&B Settles Gastric Bypass Medical Malpractice Suit in Chicago

  Tony Romanucci | November 06, 2007 10:57 AM | 0 CommentsChicago-Land, IL

  Michael Cabay entered Loyola University Medical Center in March 2001 for a routine gastric bypass surgery. According to WebMD:More than 177,000 people in the U.S. had weight loss surgery in 2006."Roux-en-Y" gastric bypass surgery -- where most of the stomach is bypassed and a small stomach pouch is made -- is the most commonly performed weight loss surgery today, accounting for about 80% of all...

• What Goes Around Comes Around

  Ed Normand | November 06, 2007 1:10 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  In recent years we have heard certain lawmakers rail against evil trial lawyers and advocate for bans or strict caps on medical malpractice cases. Now, one of the leading lawmakers for "tort reform" has, so to speak, gotten a taste of his own medicine. According to an article in the Jacksonville Times-Union: It has been a staple of Stephen Wise's political career. As a state representative and...

• Medtronic Recall - Broken Wires

  Dan Frith | November 05, 2007 12:33 PM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  As early as January of 2007, hospitals began seeing problems in patients with Medtronic implanted defibrillators who were experiencing severe electrical shocks. The shocks were caused by broken wires, called a lead, which tells a defibrillator when to send an electrical shock to a malfunctioning heart. The Minneapolis Heart Institute concluded that the Medtronic Sprint Fidelis defibrillator...