Medication errors come in many packages. Drugs may have similar names and the order or prescription may be written wrong, written illegibly, or incorrectly transcribed. Drugs can sometimes be mislabeled. Doctors can wrongly prescribe a drug, or prescribe it at the wrong dose. Doctors and hospital pharmacists may fail to check drug interactions, resulting in… Read More
Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Breast & Ovarian Cancers
Hormone Replacement Therapy, or HRT, is the use of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to treat symptoms associated with aging and menopause in women. When women reach menopause, falling hormone levels can result in symptoms like hot flashes and conditions like osteoporosis. What Does Estrogen Do? Estrogen helps the uterus prepare for pregnancy implantation, but… Read More
Did You Get An Unnecessary Coronary Artery Stent?
A coronary artery stent is inserted into a blocked artery in the heart, using a catheter. The stent is usually a small wire mesh tube, and it may be coated with medication to decrease clot formation in your arteries. A stent is placed during a procedure known as coronary angioplasty, where a tiny balloon is… Read More
Post-surgical infections: Failure to Diagnose and Treat
There are many things that can complicate a hospital stay or post-surgical recovery. On of the most common complications of a surgical procedure is a post-operative infection, sometimes known as a surgical site infection. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a surgical site infection as an infection that is related… Read More
Prescription Drug Overdose and Physician Liability
Prescription drug abuse is an epidemic in the United States, and sometimes a physician may be negligent by prescribing a dangerous drug to a patient at risk. There have been a number of lawsuits in the news as a result of alleged medical negligence in prescribing. One problem arises when a doctor prescribes a narcotic to… Read More
Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, 130,000 Americans die annually each year from stroke. 795,000 Americans experience a stroke yearly, and many of these stroke result in long-term disability. A stroke is a brain injury. Our brains need oxygen. The brain comprises 2% of body weight, but… Read More
Failure to Diagnose Compartment Syndrome
Patients frequently visit the Emergency Department with musculoskeletal injuries, including fractures. The standard practice is for the doctors to obtain radiographic images (X-rays), then reduce and immobilize the fracture. If the fracture is fairly simple to reduce, without the need for neurovascular injury, then the patient is generally referred to an orthopedic surgeon, a doctor… Read More
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Complex regional pain syndrome refers to a type of chronic pain syndrome that is thought to be the result of damage to the peripheral or central nervous system, typically after an acute injury to a limb. This is a vexing condition in which the malfunctioning nervous system produces signals that result in the perception of… Read More
Melanoma: Failure to Diagnose
A review of data from a physician owned professional liability insurer in the US that insures over 1,000 pathologists throughout the country reveals a recurrent problem in the misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose melanoma. A study done by the liability insurer of all pathology claims reported between 1990 to 2001 demonstrated that 8.6% of these claims… Read More
Preventable Deaths Caused by Advanced Trauma Life Support Errors
A 2011 study in the Journal of Trauma concluded, after a retrospective study of deaths due to mechanical trauma, that the overall preventable death rate in trauma was 7%, and of those patients who survived to be treated at a hospital, the preventable death rate was 11%. The study found “opportunities for improvement” in care… Read More
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