Hawaii Personal Injury Blog

Why Do Doctors Make Mistakes that Injure Or Kill Their Patients?

Wayne Parsons — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:17:36 GMT

The answer is simple.

Medical science is improving and we know more about how to cure disease than ever before. So why do so many patients suffer injuries when they are treated by modern health care providers - doctors and hospitals? The answer has to do with economics.

If your job is to sew three buttons on a white shirt and you are sitting there on a production line, you can do it perfectly when the line runs slow. Every stitch is exactly right and every botton placed in exactly the right position. But if "they" speed up the line it starts to stress your ability to place get it right and then "they" tell you that you are going to 14 hour days, seeing more shirts per hour than you can handle and that your net pay is going down - down a lot! Watch out! Here come the mistakes.

Attorneys who see the multitudes of patients suffering from real injuries due to medical negligence, see this story repeated over and over again. Doctors are working twice as hard and getting paid a lot less. You don't have to have a Harvard MBA to know what is going to happen. The doctors are working at 11 PM at night and start at 6 AM in the morning. Their rent, staff costs and equipment costs have skyrocketed and their reimbursements from the insurance companies are between 25% and 60% of the aqmount billed. What do we expect?

The reason? Insurance Companies and HMO's. I repeat: Insurance Companies and HMO's. And an emphatic "no" it isn't malpractice lawsuits. In Hawaii fewer that 100 doctors have claims brought against them each year and the facts just don't support the "malpractice crisis" that the insurance company and HMO CEO's and CFO's have fabricated.

Smart doctors would figure out that the insurance companies and HMO's that have ruined their lives are not worth following into tort reform battles. They would better serve themselves and their profession by taking on these insurance abusers on low reimbursements and try to practice quality medicine by taking the time that is necessary to treat patients and measure up to the Hippocratic oath.

Remeber that last visit with your doctor? Did she or he look harried and were they in a big hurry? Did they hear what you said? Did you get to say anything? If you or a loved one were in a hospital recently you know that this question is even more important and revealing.

The doctors and nurses are great people. They want to help you. They are smart and, generally, well trained. But the insurance executives have taken the medical decisions and good medical care out of their hands.

What do you think? Tell me about an experience you had with a doctor or insurance company. Maybe if we band together with real facts we can change this insurance take-over of health care. I'd like that. But first we need your story.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

North Shore Oahu Roads Site of One of Hawaii's Most Deadly Collisions

Wayne Parsons — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:51:47 GMT

On August 6, 2008, Hawaii relived a tragic day in 2006 at the sentencing of John Szemkow, who drove his car in the wrong direction into oncoming traffic on Kunia road in April 2006. One of the bloodiest auto accidents in Hawaii's history resulted from Szemkow's actions.

Smezkow got a tough ten (10) year sentence for his part in this tragedy. The many lives that have been permanently altered and destroyed will gain little consolation for their losses.

A pickup truck driven by Nova Dacquel carrying twelve people was innocently - and carefully - driving along Kunia road when a cement truck, swerving to avoid colliding with the charging on-coming Szemkow vehicle, crossed into the path of the fated pickup truck.

KHON coverage of the sentencing brought out the anguish of those whose lives were changed forever by one bad driver. The driver of the ill-fated pickup, who did nothing wrong is haunted by guilt about the resulting calamity. As reported on KHON she testified at the sentencing that "I always feel guilt wherever I go, flashback when I'm going work and when I pass by where the accident happened."

Isn't it odd how we call these horrific calamities "accidents"? When you spill something on your lap it is an accident. When something slips in your hands and breaks on the floor it is an accident. When you look at your crying baby in the car seat and run into the car ahead it is an accident. But we all see those drivers out there on Hawaii roads everyday, the John Szemkow's of the world. They speed. They cut in and out of traffic. They ignore the speed limit and complain with blaring horns about drivers who do.

Oh "yes", they are "good" drivers. Aren't we all fed up with the John Szemkow's of Hawaii roads? For each one of him being carted off to jail there are 500 near misses by drivers who are oblivious to their actions. How many lives be ruined and when I say ruined I am not talking about a stain on a shirt or a bump on a bumper. Shooting someone with a gun equals a life sentence. John Smezkow did no less and in fact did much more than he would have if he simply shot a gun.

How can we improve drivers on Hawaii's streets and highways? Isn't it time to get the John Smezkow's off the roads? What do you think?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Roads On The North Shore of Oahu Continue To Take Traffic Toll

Wayne Parsons — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:02:10 GMT

The roads on the north shore of Oahu continue to be the site of major car collisions and serious injuries in Hawaii.

On August 1^st 2008 Terry Selig was critically injured at about 7:30 in the morning

when her car crashed and ended up on its roof in an accident near 59-049 Pupukea Road. Capt. Terry Selig of the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) was one of the first on the scene and his crews along with the ambulance crew removed Ms. Selig from the vehicle which was still on its roof in the roadway.

Ms. Selig was transported to Queens Hospital in Honolulu where she arrived in critical condition.

Residents of the north shore had a slow go of it that morning because the highway was closed off from Foodland to the hairpin turn.

Why are there so many bad car crashes on the north shore roads? Heavy traffic could be one cause. The narrow two lane roadways reduce the margin of error when cars pass or momentary inattention causes the vehicle to drift across the center line. Certainly impatient drivers are one big factor. But do you think the roads are adequately designed and maintained given the high number of serious injuries that happen year after year? What do you think? Let's hear from some residents who drive those roads every day.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Consumers Union Identifies Top Food Issue Risks Consumers Face

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:28:46 GMT

The advance of technology in the food industry poses new health risks to consumers, a subject that is being discussed by scientists in Orlando Florida at the meeting of the Consumers Union© and the Consumer Federation of America© at their 2008 Joint Annual Conference. This is the largest gathering of agricultural economists and food researchers in 2008.

A session on July 29th headed by Consumer Union's Dr. Michael Hansen and CFA's Chris waldrop is entitled: "Hard Hitting and Well Informed: A Conversation Bewteen Food Safety Policy Advocates and Researchers."

A session on "Food Safety: USDA and FDA Policies Toward Bacterial Contamination in Meat" will discuss how to prevent food-bourne illness. It will also touch on providing consumers with better information about recalled food, labeling foods with country of origin, a proposed food traceability sytem the goes from farm to table.

In the session on "New Food Production Technologies - New Risks", they will reveal consumer risks from genetically engineered food and pharma crops, meat and milk from cloned animals, nanotechnology. These subjects are relatively unknown to consumers.

More information on the conference is available at their websites www.consumerinterests.org and www.aaea.org/2008am.

CONTACT:
Jack Gillis, CFA, 202-737-0766
Naomi Starkman, CU, 917-539-3924

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Epilepsy Drugs Topiramate and Valporate Raise Risk of Birth Defects Fourteen-Fold According to British Researchers

Wayne Parsons — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:48:36 GMT

Topiramate (sold as Topamax© by Johnson & Johnson™) and Valporate© both have been known to cause birth defects. Studies have shown that Topomax causes birth defects in animals and Valporate©, one of the leading epilepsy drugs, has been shown to be associated with birth defects and fetal death in approximately 20% of the mothers who take it during pregnancy. If you are taking either of these drugs and are pregnant you should immediately question your doctor about these risks.

In a new British study, out of 203 pregnancies, 18 had spontaneous abortions, 2 had still births and induced abortions occurred in 5. Of the 178 babies born the following frightening statistics were found:

4 cleft lips or palates - 11 times the normal rate
4 male baies with genital defects - 14 times the normal rate

The small sampling size (203 women) is small and so these results should be reviewed with caution. Doctors in the research study cautioned that drawing hard conclusions is not warranted at this time.

Topamax is also a leading drug in the treatment of migraines, a condition sufferd by 30 million women. Migraines are not consider to cause a risk to the fetus like epilpsy. So women with epilepsy must consider the risks differently. Not taking Topamax may put the fetus of a mother with epilepsy at risk for injury from seizures, but for a mother with migraines discontinuing Topamax is an easier choice.

The current best practice according to the American Academy of Neurology is for pregnant women with epilepsy to take only one drug to control seizures during pregnancy, and to take the lowest effective dose.

Stopping treatment of epilepsy during pregnancy puts the baby at higher risk than any of the drugs because a seizure is associated with reduced oxygen to the bay, resulting in lower fetal heart rate and fetal distress. The placenta can also be injured during a seizure which can in turn result in a miscarriage.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Australia Reserachers Embark On Large Cerebral Palsy Study

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:55:23 GMT

In the largest study of its kind, scientists in Australia are attempting to identify genetic causes of cerebral palsy. A spokesperson states that this ".... study will investigate a key issue behind cerebral palsy: whether genetic factors make women more vulnerable to environmental risks that affect the brain of their unborn child."

Do environmental factors, such as premature birth that affects the child's brain, combine with genetic factors to increase the chances of developing cerebral palsy. 10,000 mothers will participate in the study.

The goal is to develop gene therapy treatments for babies predisposed genetically to develop cerebral palsy.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Acetaminophen Use Can Lead to Serious Liver Toxicity

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:38:18 GMT

The University of Washington along with 21 other medical centers warn about acetaminophen use and severe liver toxicity in the December issue of Hepatology. Dr. Anne M. Larsen M.D. warns that as little as 7.5 grams of acetaminophen per day can lead to severe liver toxicity.

Although the reaction is rare it is a serious threat since so many drugs are combinations of acetaminophen and other drugs. The article in Hepatology stresses education od pharacists, doctors and patients to prevent this harm.

Never take more than the package-recommended 4 g/day -- higher doses may cause severe hepatic necrosis leading to acute liver failure. N-acetylcysteine prevents injury to the liver if administered within 12 hours but many people are unaware that they could benefit from it.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

50 Million Prescription Errors Yearly

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:17:56 GMT

The Journal of Patient Safety reports in December 2007 that 49% Americans who take at least one prescription medication daily face the serious risk from 50 million prescription errors by pharmacies nationwide. The problem is serious because an error could be fatal.

The main cause of the problem is inattention by pharmacy employees, lack of knowledge about the products and not looking at the prescription hardcopy during the verification process.

Patients and their families should always read the label before taking presription medications. Also ask the pharmacist to explain any side effects. They are happy to do so and often know much more about the medication than the prescribing doctor. Patients must be proactive these days in light of these alarming statistics. Simple errors like prescribing a drug containing acetaminophen to a person with liver problems can be fatal.

Don't take medications until you are sure what they are and that the type and dosage is correct.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Honda HRX Lawnmowers in Defective Product Recall

Wayne Parsons — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:11:39 GMT

Honda HRX lawnmowers have been recalled due to a defect in the rear plastic shield. Over 20,000 lawnmowers have this potential defect. The HRX Honda lawnmower is a model where the operator walks behind the lawnmower. The plastic shield is susceptible to break in which case debris that could cause injury can be thrown at the operator causing injury.

The Honda HRX lawnmowers were sold between October 2007 and June 2008 through lawn and garden shops and Home Depot.

A free repair is being offered by Honda. To arrange for such a repair call the shop where the lawnmower was purchased. For other defective product recalls visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons

Serious Risk Of Bleeding When Heparin Is Administered Shortly After Stroke

Wayne Parsons — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:09:42 GMT

Heparin is an anticoagulation drug that is commonly used in various medical contexts such as dialysis and when blood clotting is a concern. But administering Heparin to victims of cardioembolic stroke - a stroke caused by a blood clot - may lead to bleeding and dire consequences. Warfarin sodium is often admistered to stroke patients but it takes several days to reach therapeutic levels. A recent study by Hen Hallevi, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston shows that if Heparin is administered with Warfarin sodium after a cardioembolic stroke the problem with bleeding may be lessened.

The current standard of care for cardioembolic stroke does not allow anticoagulation therapy immediately after the event but patients eventually get anticoagulation therapy. Up until now there is no concensus on when that therapy should begin. Even with the combination of Warfarin and Heparin the risk of intracranial and systemic bleeding is high. warfarin on the other hand appears to be safe when started at any point in the hospital stay.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Wayne Parsons