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Medical Residents Lack Sleep Despite Policy Changes

USAToday reports that despite a change in policy in 2003 that reduced the number of hours a resident could work in one shift from 30 to 24 and reducing the number of hours a week a resident could work from 100 to 80 medical residents, there has been no change in the number of mistakes.  Doctors had hoped that a reduction in hours would prevent residents from making life-threatening medical errors and keep sleepy doctors from falling asleep at the wheel.  However, there are still an average of 1.5 mistakes made by residents for every 100 orders given. Residents had just as many needle sticks and car accidents after the policy change.  20% of the residents met the criteria for depression.   This article was published in USA Today.

By having exhausted residents involved in the care of patients, hospitals are creating a dangerous situation not only for the patients in the hospital, but for the public at large.  As noted above, residents continue to make life-threatening mistakes in caring for patients. Moreover, these exhausted doctors leave work after no sleep for well over 24 hours and get in their cars and cause car accidents which injure people.  This out dated, inefficient method of training doctors need to be changed in order to protect patients and the public at large.

If you think you may have been the victim of a medical error or malpractice due to an exhausted resident or other hospital employee,  please call us directly at 412-471-4300 or 800-350-6161, or click here.  Our lawyers and doctors specialize in medical malpractice cases.
 

Young Women Who Receive Radiation for Breast Cancer at Risk of Cancer in Other Breast

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology says that young women receiving radiation after having surgery for breast cancer are at increased risk of developing a new tumor in the opposite breast.  The risk is even greater if the woman also has a significant family history of breast cancer.

According to the study, women diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast have three to four times the risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast.
The risk of contralateral breast cancer was also greatest when three or more family members had a history of breast cancer, indicating that some of the women in the study might have the risk-raising BRCA1 or 2 genetic mutations. These mutations weren't tested for in the study.

Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. suggested that this study was not very relevant because it examined old radiation techniques.

Athor Maartje J. Hooning, at Erasmus Medical Center Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, said that even though radiation techniques have a lower dose to the contralateral breast than the techniques in the study, doctors should be aware of the dose-response relationship for risk of contralateral breast cancer. Especially in young women, the radiation dose to the opposite breast should be kept as low as possible.

New Device to Help Those with Cerebral Palsy Walk

An article in The Chicago Tribune reports that there is a new device to help those with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy to walk.  Many such people have a problem called foot drop.  A person with foot drop is unable to raise the front part of the foot up while walking causing the foot to drag and often trip the person.  This results from an injury to the peroneal nerve which controls the upward and downward movement of the front part of the foot.  The treatment for this has usually been a brace which fits inside the shoe and keeps the foot at a 90 degree angle.

Now, a new device, called the WalkAide, sends electrical signals to the peroneal nerve telling the muscles to raise the foot up at the appropriate time while walking.

Cerebral palsy can result from medical malpractice during birth.  If you would like your situation reviewed -- consultation is free --  contact the lawyers at Berger & Lagnese.