Air bags fail to deploy in an accident due to a manufacturer's defect, a young child's toy is sloppily designed and manufactured, allowing small objects to lodge in a child's trachea, a pharmaceutical drug has not been thoroughly tested, causing severe or fatal injuries. We have all heard of these types of tragedies and if you or someone you know has experienced severe injuries or even death due to product defects, you may want to consult a knowledgeable product liability and personal injury attorney.
Possible misdiagnosis? Get a second opinion.
If you feel your symptoms may have been misdiagnosed, one of the top preeminent measures is to seek a second opinion. Misdiagnosis is far too common a problem, especially among primary care providers. According to the Health Science Report in the Washington Post, it is more common than wrong-site surgery and prescription/medication errors.
Family of woman who died of stroke awarded $550,000 settlement
When a medical emergency presents, it's critical that doctors and other health care providers take prompt and appropriate action. In many cases, a patient who is suffering certain symptoms may have pre-existing or underlying health conditions that may complicate or exacerbate a medical situation. When such situations occur, it's important that doctors review a patient's medical records and take steps to quickly dianose a medical codition.
The widow of a 51-year-old woman recently prevailed in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor and hospital and was awarded a settlement in the amount of $55,000. According to the lawsuit, the 51-year-old woman sought medical care and treatment after complaining of feeling nauseous, having difficulty breathing and a severe headache.
Mother's lawsuit blames doctor for baby's brain injury
Medical errors that impact expectant mothers and their unborn or newborn babies are often among the most troubling and egregious. While in past years death or injury during childbirth was fairly common, today's medical advances have thankfully made such events rare. The process of giving birth, however, is not without risks making the need to closely monitor the vital signs of both mother and baby essential.
One mother recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who delivered her son. According to the lawsuit, the woman went to the hospital complaining of painful contractions. At the time, the woman's doctor was not at the hospital but advised medical staff via telephone to send the woman home. She returned a short while later still in severe pain. She was given a prescription drug to stop her contractions which failed to work.
Study shows surgeons not immune to distractions or mistakes
Many Rhode Island residents can likely relate to having difficulty concentrating in a noisy environment. While at work, distractions such as chatty or noisy co-workers often inhibit an individual's ability to concentrate, think and process information. While such distractions are certainly annoying for the everyday office worker, they can be downright dangerous for a doctor or surgeon.
For surgeons and surgical staff members, the operating room is equivalent to their office or cubical. Surgeons and surgical staff members spend hours in operating rooms. Over the course of a five-hour surgical procedure, it stands to reason that some distractions will occur.
Lawsuit accuses doctor of making prescription drug errors
Doctors are highly skilled and trained medical professionals who rely upon years of accumulated knowledge and experience when treating patients. In many cases, doctors will prescribe medications aimed to ease or correct patients' adverse health conditions and symptoms. When prescribing such medications, doctors are trained to review a patient's medical history as well as other medications currently and formerly prescribed.
Failure to review a patient's medical history and obtain information related to other prescription and non-prescription medications being taken, can result in a patient suffering undue harm and injury. One woman, who recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against her primary physician, alleges the doctor acted negligently in failing to take note of potentially dangerous prescription drug interactions.
Hospitals must do more to prevent medical errors
News of one recent medical error in which a neurosurgeon reportedly operated on the wrong side of a patient's brain has many outraged. This egregious medical error has left one 53-year-old woman permanently scarred and likely disabled. On a larger scale so-called never events, or medical errors of such magnitude that they should effectively 'never', occur, cast doubt about the safety of the American health care system.
While news of this most-recent major medical error reached newspaper headlines, many less serious medical errors go largely unreported. In fact, in most states hospitals are not required to report when such medical errors occur and some don't have strict internal protocols to report when doctors or nurses make mistakes.
Settlements reached in unnecessary stent surgery lawsuits
Doctors have an ethical and professional obligation to "do no harm". These are the words doctors pledge to uphold when they take the Hippocratic Oath and begin their career in medicine. While many doctors are well compensated for their services and expertise, in recent years several disturbing stories have circulated of doctors who profit from under-the-table deals with pharmaceutical companies or by engaging in health insurance billing fraud.
Perhaps most troubling are cases in which doctors are accused of negligence in either overtreating or failing to treat patients. The attorneys for more than 20 patients who filed medical malpractice claims against a doctor and the hospital at which he worked, recently announced that settlements were reached in the cases.
Lawsuit contends nursing home negligent in man's fall
In many cases, patients who undergo surgical or medical procedures are discharged from the hospital before fully recovered. Rather than be sent directly home, such patients are often temporarily transferred to nursing homes and assisted care facilities. Such facilities are meant to be safe environments staffed by medical professionals where an individual can receive assistence while recovering.
One man who was transferred to one such nursing home and recovery facility after undergoing knee surgery, recently filed a lawsuit against the facility. The man is claiming the nursing home is negligent in contributing to a fall accident that left him with painful and debilitating injuries.
Birth injury results in medical malpractice lawsuit
For most women who are expecting a baby, their pregnancy is an exciting and joyful time. As a woman’s due date nears, there are several tests that her doctor administers to ensure she and her unborn child are healthy. One such test that has become customary is that which determines whether or not a woman carries group B streptococcus or GBS.
While typically harmless to a mother, when present during birth, GBS can pose health risks to an infant. In an attempt to protect a newborn baby from developing any adverse side effects from GBS exposure, doctors routinely administer a test to detect whether or not the bacteria is present and an IV of antibiotics is given to the mother prior to a child’s birth.
