Medical Malpractice

• Baltimore Obstetrician Liable in Medical Malpractice Case

  Shannon Weidemann | May 17, 2007 9:57 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  A family sued a Baltimore Obstetrician for medical malpractice for injuries their son received during labor and delivery and was awarded $8.1 Million by the jury. Their son was born in 2003 and suffered brain damage. The family claims the doctor used an unsafe technique to extract the baby. The child passed away a year later from his injuries.Mercy - where Julian has medical privileges -...

• Beware of PCAs (Patient Controlled Analgesics)

  Staff Writer | March 13, 2007 10:20 AM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  Many hospitals and healthcare facilities offer Patient Controlled Analgesics (PCAs), which are ways for patients to administer and manage their own pain medication. Most of these patients are not aware of the dangers of narcotic overdose that may accompany PCAs.One nurse reports that the information available to patients about PCAs is misleading and unreliable. Thomas A. Sharon, R.N., M.P.H....

• Medication Errors most likely to Occur at Surgery

  Beth Janicek | March 08, 2007 3:58 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  A recent report revealed that medication errors are most likely to occur during or after surgery."Patients going under the knife face a significant risk of becoming the victim of a medical error involving medication, according to a report being released today. The report, the largest examination of medication errors before, during and after surgery, found that operations are among the riskiest...

• Arbitration of Medical Malpractice Claims

  Beth Janicek | March 02, 2007 11:44 AM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  Many nursing homes and some hospitals are asking their patients to sign arbitration clauses as part of their admission to the facilities. "I find this whole situation absolutely outrageous. These guys are preying on people who are vulnerable and clearly not in a frame of mind to make the kind of decision that could affect their legal rights forever," said Paul Lyon of the Committee for Justice...

• Texas Specialty Hospital in Abilene Not In Compliance

  Beth Janicek | February 28, 2007 3:32 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  Medicare officials notified West Texas Hospital in Abilene, a specialty hospital, that it will halt Medicare funding to the facility unless certain health and safety problems are corrected. A review by Medicare earlier this month found the hospital was not in compliance in a number of areas, including patient rights, nursing services and emergency services. Medicare will terminate the funding...

• Texas Jury Awards $19.4 Mil in Remicade Lawsuit

  Staff Writer | December 15, 2006 9:05 AM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  A Security Advisory by the American Association for Justice reports that December 13, a Corpus Christi, TX jury awarded $19.4 million to a woman who had filed a Remicade lawsuit. The woman contracted lupus as a result of taking the prescription arthritis drug. A Texas jury has found that Centocor Inc. negligently failed to warn doctors and consumers about potential side effects of Remicade and...

• GlaxoSmithKline Settles Paxil Lawsuit

  Beth Janicek | November 09, 2006 3:39 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $63.8 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing it of promoting its antidepressant Paxil for use by children and adolescents while withholding negative information about the drug's safety and effectiveness.United States residents who bought Paxil or Paxil CR, a controlled-release version of the drug, for their children could receive full refunds if they have...

• New Mom Paralyzed In Drug Error By Hospital

  Beth Janicek | October 23, 2006 5:57 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  An Indianapolis hospital gave a new mother a painkiller 10 times faster than intended and made her temporarily paralyzed. Amber Baise, 18, entered Methodist hospital to give birth to her first child. An anesthesiologist started an epidural pump which was improperly programmed and gave her 10 hours worth of pain killer in just one hour. Ms. Baise has recovered some movement in her legs and did...

• Jury Awards Family 1.5 Million Dollars Because Prempro Caused Woman's Breast Cancer

  Beth Janicek | October 09, 2006 3:42 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  Wyeth's is facing 5,000 lawsuits involving its hormone replacement drug, Prempro. The lawsuit claims Wyeth was negligent in the testing, manufacture, and marketing of its hormone replacement therapy drugs. The Plaintiff took Prempro for about six years and blamed it for her breast cancer. A federally sponsored trial showed an increase in cancer risk. The drug in combination with the female...

• Medical Malpractice Caps Are Unconstitutional

  Beth Janicek | September 28, 2006 3:12 PM | 0 CommentsSan Antonio, TX

  A Court in Louisiana has ruled the medical malpractice cap which was passed in 1975 is unconstitutional as it fails to provide an adequate remedy for severely injured patients. The $500,000 cap from 1975 is worth around $146,435 to $160,000 in today's dollars, according to evidence presented in the original case and an affidavit filed in 2003, the ruling says. The medical malpractice cap in...