Medical Malpractice | InjuryBoard Denver

Many of you have learned of recent problems associated with implantable cardiac devices. Guidant Corporation's implantable defibrillator has been associated with potentially fatal complications. As a result of negative publicity, Guidant created a panel to investigate complaints. The May 18 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine contains an early release of their findings. Of note,...

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Today's edition of The New England Journal of Medicine sheds light on an erroneous claim often made by medical malpractice insurance companies. The insurance community-- and the current administration--- has long claimed that high premiums are brought on largely by frivolous or unfounded litigation. Today's article should settle this issue once and for all.The NEJM (the world's most prestigious...

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The FDA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)issued a safety alert April 24, 2006, warning that 12 incidents have been reported in which regulators used with oxygen cylinders have burned or exploded, in some cases injuring personnel. Improper use of gaskets/washersin the regulators are a major factor in the ignition and severity of the fires, and FDA and NIOSH...

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A recent study by HealthGrades indicates that the most serious problem in U.S. hospitals is medical error. This study ranked hospitals in New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Tennessee and the District of Columbia as those ranking lowest in patient safety.For more information about the medical errors study...

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We have all read about rising health care costs. Insurance companies would have you believe the increase is due to high medical malpractice verdicts and unscrupulous trial lawyers. As a lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice litigation and takes pride in representing the injured, it was with interest that I read the front page story in today's Wall Street Journal (April 18, 2006).The...

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A Senate Finance Committee found that a top FDA official overruled the unanimous opinion of his scientific staff when he decided last year to approve a pacemaker-like device to treat persistent depression, according to an article in the New York Times. The device has been used since 1997 to treat epilepsy, and when patients began reporting improvements in mood, the manufacturer sought approval...

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As if we needed convincing, here's more proof that dogs really can be man's (and woman's) best friend. An article in HealthDay News reports a new study showing that dogs can detect lung and breast cancer in breath samples.Here's an excerpt:"When we heard anecdotally that there was a device out there that might be able to detect cancer at its earliest stages, before it even shows up on an MRI...

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The statistics over the last 20 years have remained fairly consistent: 3-5% of all prescription fills at retail pharmacies result in errors, or "misfills" as they are known in the pharmacy business. This means that for every 100 prescriptions that you or your loved ones have filled, it is a statistical fact that 3-5 of them will be dispensed with some kind of error. Sometimes the wrong drug is...

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FDA has announced a new program that is designed to transform and strengthen medical device safety.This initiative will work toward an electronic reporting system and is expected to provide unique ways to identify medical devices including standardized and globally accepted names. Information in patient records about device information will be improved as will collaboration on post market...

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Guidant Corp. has accepted Boston Scientific's acquisition offer of about $27 billion in cash and stock. Boston Scientific had been vying with Johnson and Johnson for a chance to acquire Guidant and gain entry into the fast-growing $10.3 billion cardiac-rhythm management market. Boston Scientific's enthusiasm for the merger was not dampened by Guidant's 1-23-06 announcement that it was...

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In the wake of the recent and too-numerous-to-count recalls of medical devices, the FDA announced on January 20, 2006 that it is launching a new program to transform and strengthen the way it currently monitors the safety of medical devices after they reach the market -- both new technology and existing products.The FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health's (CDRH) Postmarket...

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A story from the Denver Post talks about the non-profit group Colorado Citizens for Accountability and their battle to inform the public about medical malpracticeand tort reform. Founded by Patty and David Skolnik, whose son was diagnosed with a brain cyst. Only after he was operated on did the family find out that the doctor who performed the surgery had pending malpractice suits in other...

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