Making healthcare safe sounds like a reasonable idea, doesn't it? Of course it does! Why in the world is it so hard to make healthcare safe to begin with? We have all heard about the Institute of Medicine report that says that medical mistakes are a serious problem in our healthcare system. The real question [...]
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there will be 228,190 new cases diagnosed and 159,480 deaths from this disease in 2013. A key preventative strategy has been to screen patients who are at increased risk, such as smokers. Until recently, screening had been [...]
Medical malpractice cases occasionally arise out of decisionmaking about blood transfusions. Blood transfusions involve the administration of whole blood or blood products through an intravenous line (IV) to replace blood lost at surgery or due to hemorrhage following traumatic injury. The procedure is surprisingly common; nearly 5 million patients require blood tranfusions each year in the [...]
As you know from our blog, medical malpractice takes many forms and occurs for many reasons. We have previously reported on how the medical community is slow to adapt to changes in behavioral patterns of the population that impact the incidence of certain medical conditions. For example, we reported earlier how the obesity epidemic is increasing [...]
Over 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer occur in the U.S. each year. About 4,000 women die annually from the disease. In an effort to improve timely diagnosis of the disease, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published updated guidelines on cervical cancer screening. These guidelines parallel recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American [...]
The American Heart Association announced that Monday, October 29th is World Stroke Day, "a day dedicated to educating communities around the world about the risks, signs and symptoms of stroke." Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Stroke is also a leading cause of long-term disability and a major contributor to healthcare [...]
Pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of death and hospitalization in the U.S. There are a number of risk factors for the condition, which occurs when blood clots in the legs (called deep vein thrombosis or DVTs) break free, travel to the lungs and interfere with breathing. If the clot burden is significant enough, patients can [...]
A recent study in Neurology shows that stroke rates are increasing among younger patients. This is concerning, not just a trend in public health, but also in terms of a risk for substandard medical care and medical malpractice claims. When diseases and medical conditions that are typically seen in older patients begin affecting younger patients, [...]
Hospital infections are an increasing problem in the U.S. According to a study published in Gastroenterology, the number of deaths from one such infection, Clostridium difficile infection (also called c diff or c. difficile), have increased from 2195 in 2002 to 7251 in 2009 - a 230% increase. C. Diff is now the 9th leading cause of [...]
Delayed diagnosis of hospital infections can lead to a progression of disease and an adverse outcome. Left untreated, infections can progress from a local problem to sepsis, a systemic response to the infection. With further progression, sepsis can turn to shock, organ failure and, ultimately, death. Likewise, a delay in treatment can make it necessary to [...]
