Blog: Medical Malpractice
- Medical Errors and Patient Safety
Apr 23, 2018
Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death in the United States Injury due to medical malpractice causes an estimated of 250,000 deaths every year. Only heart disease and cancer cause more according to a study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The Hopkins study concluded that patient safety is just not a priority at many health care facilities in America. Patient Injury Due to Medical Errors Are a Common Occurrence In many states the law...Read More - Poorly Designed Medical Devices Threaten Unsuspecting Patients
Sep 6, 2016
The FDA is continuing to investigate the risks associated with heater-cooler devices used in major surgeries, particularly cardiothoracic procedures. The heater-cooler devices have been associated with potentially fatal infections, such as Nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM), and the FDA issued a safety alert on these devices in June. At issue is the failure by manufacturers to provide adequate cleaning instructions for their heater-cooler devices, and, until recently, to advise those operating the devices on safe placement during surgeries. The FDA is...Read More - Alzheimer’s Disease: One of Many Misdiagnosed Conditions
Jun 22, 2016
The issue of misdiagnosis has been a hot topic in the news recently after musician and actor Kris Kristofferson was diagnosed at age 79 with untreated Lyme disease. His persistent memory problems had doctors believing for years that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which they had connected to the contact sports Kristofferson played in his younger years. Kristofferson’s wife recently told Rolling Stone that his memory loss quickly vanished following the Lyme disease diagnosis and...Read More - Rock Star Leading the Fight against Cancer Misdiagnosis
Jun 10, 2016
When Foghat bassist Craig MacGregor underwent a CT scan after a fall in 2012, a 10-millimeter tumor on his lung was present on the scan results. MacGregor was not made aware of the tumor until three years later, when another doctor reviewed his medical records. MacGregor’s situation points to a much bigger problem: radiologists and other diagnostic imaging service providers are not currently required by law to report test results to patients. The failure to inform...Read More - Questions about Prevacid and Possible Kidney-Related Side Effects
Jun 9, 2016
Studies have linked certain popular stomach acid medication with a very dangerous risk. Anapol Weiss Partner Tracy Finken answers a few important questions about these drugs and what patients can do. Prevacid and other proton pump inhibitors have been in the news a lot lately. What’s going on? Two population-based analyses published in January 2016 associated proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, with an increased risk for developing chronic kidney disease. The results indicate that the ten-year absolute...Read More - Six Surgical Mistakes with Deadly Consequences
Jun 8, 2016
Surgical mistakes are the stuff of nightmares: a surgeon amputating the wrong limb, a patient contracting an infection from unsanitary equipment, or even an instrument being left inside of a patient. While mistakes like these are rare, they can have serious or even fatal consequences. The following examples are among the mistakes that may occur during surgery: Damage to organs, tissue, or nerves. Surgery on an organ does always carry some risk, and the organ operated...Read More - Proper Fetal Monitoring May Prevent Birth Trauma
Jun 6, 2016
Pre-birth fetal monitoring is designed to prepare you and your doctor for your birth and to give warning signs if anything is abnormal with your baby. Since your baby can’t tell you if anything is wrong, your doctor needs to carefully monitor him or her throughout the pregnancy. The following tests may be necessary if you have a high-risk pregnancy (including women with diabetes and women who have had complications with previous pregnancies) or if...Read More - 7 Questions For Your Pharmacist to Help Prevent Medication Errors
Jun 3, 2016
Although your doctor and pharmacist are experts in their fields, patients should pay careful attention and ask questions whenever they’re prescribed a medication. Even the best pharmacists make mistakes sometimes, but patients can avoid problems by staying alert and involved in their medical treatment. Here are some questions that you should ask your pharmacist whenever you are picking up a new medication: 1. What is the brand name of this medication? What is the generic name? The...Read More - 5 Umbilical Cord Accidents Than Can Lead to Birth Injuries
Jun 2, 2016
The umbilical cord provides oxygen and essential nutrients to a fetus during pregnancy while also carrying away waste products. It is a life-giving connection between the baby and the mother. However, certain umbilical cord accidents can occur during pregnancy, labor, and birth that may endanger the health or life of the infant. If your child suffered from a birth injury in Philadelphia, contact our Philadelphia birth injury lawyers at Anapol Weiss today for a free...Read More - Fighting the Harm Caused by Medical Malpractice
Jun 2, 2016
In May 2016, a study published in the British Medical Journal revealed errors in health care facilities may be the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. The new research, a fresh look at four large studies, found that medical mistakes kill an estimated 251,000 patients in the U.S. every year – a substantially higher number than previously reported. Seventeen years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report concluding that mistakes in medical...Read More