As an experienced brain injury attorney, I would like to take time to recognize National Brain Injury Awareness Month. It remains as daunting an area of law as ever. The challenges that I face, together with my clients, seem to grow each year. I have been handling traumatic brain injury cases for about 20 years. In [...]
Stroke is a leading cause of injury and death in the United States. In past blogs, I have focused on preventative strategies for avoiding blood clots to the brain through identification and treatment of atrial fibrillation ("a fib") and use of anticoagulation medications, such as coumadin and warfarin. I have also written about the use [...]
Children frequently suffer a brain injury in conjunction with other injuries that occur in car accidents, falls, assaults and other types of trauma, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Brain damage in children who sustain head injuries can be subtle and therefore may go undiagnosed. This recent NEJM [...]
The rate of medical errors increases with physician fatigue, which should be no surprise to anyone. But a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reporting on the type of errors that occur with fatigue is surprising. The article reports that prescription of unnecessary antibiotics increased with each hour that a doctor was working. For example, [...]
Medical errors may arise as a result of forgotten central venous catheters (CVC), according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study reports that as many as one in five healthcare workers may not be able to recall whether their patients have central line. Not surprisingly, teaching physicians and hospitalists were more likely [...]
The risk of surgical errors is no greater at outpatient surgery centers than full-service hospitals for most patients. However, certain patients may face increased risk when undergoing surgery at one of these facilities, as the case of Joan Rivers illustrates. Yesterday, I wrote about news accounts relating the cause of Joan Rivers' death. I suspect we will be [...]
Insurance companies defend their insured doctors from medical negligence claims by trotting out every conceivable argument, hoping that one sticks. So, in medical malpractice cases resulting in wrongful death, the insurance lawyers often question the cause of death. They even rely on ambiguity created by the defendant physician who failed to obtain appropriate tests needed to make the correct diagnosis. In [...]
Birth injuries occur around the time of delivery, resulting in cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy and other permanent neurological injuries. The risk of injury increases with multiple gestation births, such as twins and triplets. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) has issued recommendations to minimize the risk of injury during management of a twin or [...]
Dangerous drugs are often overprescribed due to conflicts of interest inherent in the medical industry. The case of Farid Fata, M.D. is a case in point. This oncologist recently pleaded guilty to criminal charges arising out of chemotherapy medications that he prescribed to patients who either didn't need the drugs or would not benefit from them. [...]
Medical errors related to "drive by medicine" appear to be on the rise. As an Ohio medical malpractice attorney, I see bad trends in medicine before they are reported. I am speaking with more patients who have had serious medical issues that were passed over by a consulting specialist who was too focused on a single issue to see the [...]