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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Hospital infections remain one of the dark secrets of American hospitals. Rather than becoming rarer, hospital infections seem to be more common. The bacteria Clostridium difficile, also called C. diff., has added to this developing danger in the last several years. USA Today reported that about 350,000 C. diff infections resulted in about 30,000 deaths nationwide in 2010. C [...]
One of the primary functions of a hospital is to provide adequate nursing staffing to monitor and treat patients. Both for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals have long attempted to cut costs by understaffing and, thereby overworking, their nursing staff. This cost-cutting (and corner-cutting) practice often has dire consequences for patients. A recent study points out one less-than-obvious consequence [...]
Two common types of Ohio medical malpractice claims arise out of delays in treating aortic abdominal aneurysms (AAAs): failure to perform a AAA repair in the face of a growing aneurysm and failure to emergently diagnose and treat a symptomatic AAA. AAAs are part of a broader category of thoracic aortic disease (TAD), which also includes [...]
At Mishkind Kulwicki Law, we frequently review, investigate and handle cases involving a failure to diagnose, prevent and/or treat pulmonary embolism. Blood clots can form in a variety of areas of the body and frequently occur after a surgical procedure or when a patient is on bed rest and not walking for an extended period [...]
