In evaluating hospital negligence cases, it is important to understand the role of nurses and the challenges that they face. In modern healthcare, profiteering hospitals are engaged in an all out assault on the nursing profession, through such practices as short-staffing, hiring underskilled personnel to replace nurses and using dangerously inaccurate electronic information systems. The [...]
Surgical errors arising out bariatric surgery can occur before, during or after the procedure. Medical negligence may occur before surgery based on the poor patient selection. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery must be carefully screened to assess their physical and mental fitness to undergo major surgery that results in dramatic lifestyle alteration. As important as [...]
Stroke in children follows patterns similar to adults and is much more common than previously suspected, according to two recent studies. Though we tend to associate stroke with older adults, it is not uncommon in children. In fact, it occurs in about 12 of every 100,000 children, and is one of the leading causes of childhood [...]
Stroke is a devastating condition, but no more so than when it strikes a young person. We think of the disease as being a condition that affects the elderly and infirm. But, cases arise involving young adults. Some conditions that lead to stroke, or cardiovascular accident (CVA), in younger patients include atrial fibrillation and carotid artery dissections. A recent [...]
Medical negligence cases involving children are a particular interest of Mishkind Kulwicki Law. As such, a recent report by Public Citizen caught my eye. The report involves unethical research performed at a number of U.S. hospitals, including University Hospitals of Cincinnati in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati and University Hospitals of Cleveland in conjunction with Case Western [...]
Surgical errors may result from the decision to perform unnecessary surgery. A recent study performed by the Mayo Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery reports that thyroidectomy -- surgical removal of the thyroid gland -- is often performed unnecessarily. According to the Mayo Center, surgical removal of the thyroid has more than tripled in the [...]
Medical errors arising out of missed test reports are surprisingly common at VA facilities, according to a new report published in JAMA Internal Medicine. As a medical malpractice attorney, I am always interested in public perceptions about healthcare. One popular opinion is that the care provided at VA medical centers is often poor quality. My experience tells [...]
Birth injuries are a common source of medical negligence claims in the U.S. One compelling reason for this is the fact that when a newborn suffers an avoidable neurological complication as a result of obstetrical malpractice, the costs -- both human and economic -- are catastrophic. C-sections are frequently performed to avoid risks associated with [...]
Medical errors frequently arise out of use of anticoagulants such as Heparin, Warfarin and Coumadin. These errors cause harm when the level of anticoagulation is either too high, leading to bleeding complications, or too low, leading to clotting problems. Either type of complication can have catastrophic consequences, such as hemorrhagic stroke, thromboembolic stroke, pulmonary embolism, HIT [...]
The root cause of most cases of nursing negligence is, in reality, hospital negligence in failing to properly staff its units with an adequate number of experienced registered nurses. A new culprit is the electronic medical record, which is prone to medication errors and creating fields of useless, unreliable and inaccurate data in a patient's hospital chart. Following is a [...]