Law Blog

New research has revealed how certain drugs provided to patients in intensive care unit (ICU) settings may, instead of shortening recovery time after hospital discharge, actually lengthen that time and prolong muscular weakness. A recent study published in the online journal CHEST closely examined the impact of particular drugs administered to patients on medical ventilation.…

Many individuals who experience chest pains, shortness of breath, or other health concerns contact their doctor and discover that their heart is not receiving a proper flow of blood. Lack of blood flow and oxygen to the heart creates the symptom of chest pain. This condition is known as angina. The commonly accepted way to…

Any physical harm an infant suffers as he or she is in the process of being born is referred to as a birth injury. Damage that occurs to the mother during birth may also fall under this term, but less commonly. A birth injury is distinct from a birth defect which originates or grows while…

Medical malpractice doesn’t just mean instances like when a surgeon makes a mistake during surgery. Medical negligence can also include times when a doctor fails to diagnose (or misdiagnose) a condition completely. Errors like these often lead to tragedy and catastrophic injuries. A spinal cord abscess (SCA), sometimes called an epidural abscess, is an infection…

Longtime drummer for rock band Blink-182 Travis Barker recently filed a malpractice suit against a Santa Monica medical imaging center. This action caps off an unfortunate several months for the musician and his family. Earlier this past summer, in June, Barker was admitted to the hospital to receive treatment for blood clots in his arms,…

For many decades, paramedics have treated urgent cardiac arrest victims with adrenaline to prevent their death. However, newly released information is suggesting that the drug used by these medical professionals when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and electric shocks failed to work, only improves the chance of preventing death by a slim margin, but at the same…

Regardless of whether you have a surgical procedure done at a surgery center or hospital, you expect those in charge of your surgery to provide the same level of competency and safe care before, during, and after surgery. However, the statistics are revealing significant inadequacies when it comes to the resources and oversight associated with…

In a poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), nine out 10 emergency room doctors say their hospitals aren’t prepared for a mass tragedy or major disaster. The poll also revealed that fewer than half of doctors believe their emergency rooms are only “somewhat” equipped to handle an incident that drastically increases ER…

In a recent ruling, the Florida Supreme Court stated that the injuries a patient sustained resulting from the use of a restraint maneuver at The National Deaf Academy were the result of negligence, and not medical malpractice. Because the patient’s cause of injury was not related to malpractice, the Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiff…

Kernicterus is a rare form of birth injury which results from a newborn’s inability to process excess levels of bilirubin in the blood after birth. Babies are typically born with a surplus of red blood cells, and their bodies accumulate bilirubin as it breaks these cells down. A newborn’s liver often becomes overworked in processing…

An endoscopy is a medical procedure that uses a scope, which is a long tube with a tiny camera mounted on the end, to explore inside a patient’s body. The physician inserts the scope into an opening in the patient’s body, and they can then watch the video feed that captures an up-close view in…

Diagnosis is the medical process of determining which conditions or illnesses are causing a patient’s symptoms. Errors during surgery accounted for 24% of medical error claims, and errors in medical management accounted for 14% of the claims. A new study found that diagnostic errors were the largest part of medical malpractice claims during the years…

Biologists James Watson and Francis Crick are credited with having discovered the structure of DNA. This discovery has paved the way for medical and scientific breakthroughs for combatting disease, using fingerprinting in criminal cases, modifying food, and giving the world Jurassic Park. Over the last 65 years, we have come to rely on DNA to…

Colon and rectal surgeries, collectively referred to as colorectal surgeries, account for about 24% of all general surgery cases and about 15% of the physicians in this field face medical malpractice lawsuits each year. A study published in the Journal of Surgical Research analyzed 122 medical malpractice lawsuits and found that the most common cause…

Even the most simple of surgeries can elicit concern for patients. While surgeons and other medical professionals are highly trained in their craft, human error is always a possibility. Beyond simple errors, there is also the potential for acute carelessness and negligence that can result in serious complications or injury. Surgical malpractice can produce long-term…

Medication errors in a health care setting are rampant despite efforts to solve the problem. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines an adverse drug event (ADE) as harm experienced by a patient because of exposure to a medication. ADEs account for approximately 700,000 emergency room visits and 100,000 hospitalizations each year. The AHQR…