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 [...]
The Archives of Internal Medicine reports that a simple blood test can accurately rule in or rule out heart attacks in three-quarters of patients with acute chest pain. The test looks for a byproduct of heart attacks, called troponin, that appears in the patient's blood. This test is a promising new addition to the various studies [...]
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 [...]
I find news stories like this very disconcerting. Researchers at Harvard Medical School report that tanning bed use increases the risk of malignant melanoma. The increased risk is particularly prevalent among younger sunbed users. To me, this means that there will be an increase in claims arising out of a delay in diagnosis of this dangerous skin cancer. Here's [...]
A delay in diagnosis of cancer may cause a patient's prognosis to go from bad to worse. When it comes to lung cancer, this maxim holds true. Recognizing that earlier detection of lung cancer saves lives, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery published updated guidelines for screening high risk patients in order to catch evidence of [...]
Claims for delay in diagnosis of cancer are common in Ohio. Medical malpractice cases involving a delayed diagnosis, or a delay in treatment, of malignant melanoma require consideration of a number of factors. A recent medical study underscores the importance of proper surgical treatment upon timely diagnosis of this potentially deadly cancer. Malignant melanoma is a [...]
A recent study by The Joint Commission, a nonprofit association that accredits hospitals, shows that clot busting medicines are used to treat stroke with greater frequency at certified Primary Stroke Centers than at non-certified hospitals. These clot busting medicines (also called "thrombolytics"), such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), are used to disintegrate clots and return blood flow to [...]
A delay in diagnosis of prostate cancer can mean the difference between life and death. For a real world example of how this works, look to the case of Warren Buffet, the third richest man in the world. Buffett was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine PSA screening test. But the news wasn't all bad. Because [...]
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 [...]
