Emergency room visits can be traumatic for patients, especially young and senior citizen patients that contribute to more than 120 million emergency room visits each year. But even after patients leave the ER, their health may still be in jeopardy. Poor communication between emergency room physicians and primary care physicians can seriously undermine effective care. …
Federal drug regulators have issued a disturbing new warning for women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Research shows that the popular migraine medication Topamax seriously raises the risk of birth defects such as a cleft lip or cleft palate, especially when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy. New drug registry data …
A new study shows that taking prescription painkillers shortly before or early in a woman’s pregnancy can be incredibly risky. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that certain opioid pain relievers, including Vicodin, OxyContin and Tylenol-3, increase the risk of several major birth defects. This particular class of medications more than doubles …
Residents suffering from advanced dementia are among the most vulnerable patients in nursing homes. These elderly patients are often bed-bound, unable to speak more than a few words, and prone to confusion or fear. Although it is less traumatic for dementia patients to remain in the nursing home, a recent New York Times blog points …
Deep frying a turkey on Thanksgiving has become a popular trend, leading to delicious yet potentially dangerous results. Deep fried turkeys carry a greater fire risk than their traditional baked counterparts, and additional safety steps should be taken to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday. Every Thanksgiving results in reports of house fires caused by …
Our very own Chicago personal injury attorney, Bill Pintas, experienced the hotter side of Las Vegas (quite literally) while staying at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas. Attorney Pintas was actually looking to cool down at the hotel pool when he experienced this heated phenomenon. As he laid back in a chair he was suddenly …
The New York Times recently reported that DePuy Orthopaedics, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, has warned doctors that an artificial hip implant known as the ASR has a high early failure rate in some patients. The warning comes after more than two years of reports of implant failures in patients after only a few …
The New York Times recently published an article on the lack of scrutiny long-term healthcare hospitals face over their standards of care. According to the report, Medicare has never closely examined the care provided in these facilities, which are largely run by for-profit companies and have no doctors on staff. Many are “hospitals within hospitals”€, …
Millions of Americans take the blood thinner Plavix to reduce their risk of blood clots, which may lead to heart attack or stroke. Since Plavix can lead to an upset stomach, doctors often prescribe Prilosec and Nexium to treat this symptom. However, the FDA recently issued warnings that these medications may decrease the anti-clotting benefits …
In June of this year, Roche Holding quietly pulled the drug Accutane from the market. Accutane is prescribed to treat moderate to severe cases of acne. The drug has had an extensive history of leading to adverse effects since its approval in 1982, such as suicidal behavior and birth defects. The removal of the drug …
The Chicago Tribune recently reported that Abbott Laboratories is under investigation for their sale and marketing practices of Depakote. Depakote is prescribed primarily to treat bipolar disorder. In certain cases, it is also used to treat major depressive disorder, epilepsy, chronic pain associated with neuropathy, and migraine headaches. The federal probe was initiated to find …
On Thursday of last week, a federal appeals court unanimously voted to reinstate a shareholder lawsuit against Matrixx Initiatives, the makers of the popular cold remedy Zicam. The lawsuit claims that the shareholders of the company did not disclose information that the drug was potentially harmful to the public and instead issued incorrect and misleading …
A new study published last week pointed to an increased risk of stroke for patients taking the medication Aranesp. Aranesp is part of a class of drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells. ESAs are primarily used to treat anemia in patients with chronic kidney failure, …
Thousands of people vacation in Las Vegas every weekend. It’s not uncommon for many to go home feeling sick over gambling losses. For one of our clients though the illness did not subside when he got home. Mr. Richardson* and his wife stayed at the Polo Tower in Las Vegas for one week celebrating their …
The decision to place a family member in a nursing home is difficult and often heart wrenching. Once this decision is made, trust is placed in the nursing home to administer the best care. One of our clients trusted a nursing home to attend and monitor her mother, Veronica,* but discovered neglect instead. Veronica was …
The FDA recently mandated that all manufacturers of a class of anti-depressant drugs called Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) to include warnings of suicide and suicide ideation on their labels. Well known SSRI’s include Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin and Effexor. Not only are these drugs linked to an increased suicide risk, but “off-label” use is widespread meaning …
Perrigo and FDA notified healthcare professionals and consumers of the recall of all lots of concentrated infants’ drops that are packaged with a dosing syringe bearing only a “1.6 mL” mark containing 1] acetaminophen,2]acetaminophen, dextromethorphan HBr, and pseudoephedrine HCl, or 3]dextromethorphan HBr, and pseudoephedrine HCl. The dosing syringe may be confusing in determining the proper …
Two law firms in Florida recently filed a class action lawsuit against DuPont alleging that a chemical in Teflon causes cancer and other health problems. The suspect chemical in Teflon is called perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, known as PFOA, or C-8. The lawsuit asks the giant chemical company to provide medical monitoring to the millions …
As Governor Blagojevich prepares to sign the recently passed medical malpractice reform bill, I thought it helpful to consider some national statistics on doctor and hospital error: 3% or more of hospital patients are hurt by medical error. 1 in 300 patients die from such mistakes. In U.S. aviation only 1 in 5 million flights ends in …
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