The New York Times sheds some needed light on the cute connections between research and marketing in some medical device companies. "By January, about 80 cardiologists nationwide completed an evaluation run by the Guidant Corporation of one of its products, an improved electrical component, known as a lead, that connects an implanted cardiac device to the heart.""The program did generate...
"A rollator is basically a standard walker with tires attached. Unlike a regular walker, a rollator doesn't involve the lift that a normal walker requires. Makes walking a smoother process. A rollator however requires that the user be stable enough to not let it get away from them since it has wheels."A curb and a short patch of grass were hazardous conditions for my client. Because of her...
Michigan lawyer, Aaron Larson, blogging on The Stopped Clock, shoots down a proposal to create a schedult of damages for malpractice cases.To his thoughts I would add my own: Why not focus on stopping the malpractice instead of reducing the compensation to its victims. If half as much effort were to be expended in improving the quality of patient care as is involved in creating "certainty and...
Jennifer Creer, on Blogging Baby, asks this question and explains how she felt after she took a motorcycle ride this month.I applaud Jennifer's consideration of these issues.I would not pretend to be an expert on the risk-benefit of motorcycle riding for mothers. However, I do know how I feel when I see children trying to stay attached to an adult on a motorcycle or perched in the lap of a...
"Does the evidence support the use of spinal and epidural anesthesia for surgery?"This is the question asked in the excellent medical journal article just published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia atVolume 17 • Number 5 • August 2005.Spinal anesthesia can result in bleeding into the epidural space which, if not diagnosed and treated within a very short window of time, may lead...
Two new drug studies may explain why we are spending lots more on new drugs and not getting any better. According to one study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, total U.S. spending on medical research has doubled in the past decade, nearing $95 billion a year. But we're not seeing the results we might expect.A second study comparing schizophrenia drugs has found that...
A breakdown in communications between an obstetrician and a Spanish-speaking pregnant mother may have resulted in injuries to a newborn child in the Florida case of TORRES v. SULLIVAN, 2D03-5227 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 2005).The standard of care provided to an expectant mother regarding delivery should not be lowered because she does not speak English. Nor should the expectant mother be expected to...
If the visitor knows there is no handrail and still falls down the stairs and is injured can he bring a claim for compensation?The answer, according to the very recent appellate decision of MILLER v. SLABAUGH, 2D04-3799 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 2005, is yes. The reason lies in the twofold duty that a landowner owes to a visitor. The result of this decison is the right of an injured person to present...
According to an article published in the August 30, 2005, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ. 2005;173:510-515)the medication histories obtained at the time of admission are frequently erroneous or incomplete. And, the error and omissions are potentially very harmful.Conclusion: accurate medication histories at the time of hospital admission are an important element of...
Reuters Health reports that MRSA infections which are spreading in hospitals are not being recognized or treated as promptly as it should."NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even with early therapy, infection-related mortality from nosocomial bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia (NBSAP) is high, according to a report in the September issue of Chest. [Nosocomial is a fancy word for "acquired in...
