Gall Bladder surgery malpractice: patient recovers confidential settlement In a recent medical malpractice case, the patient obtained a settlement against the gallbladder surgeon; the settlement amount is confidential between the parties. The patient sued the surgeon for negligence during removal of the plaintiff’s gallbladder. The 59-year-old patient went to the surgeon complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting. Testing revealed gallbladder…
Read MoreCholine found to be an essential prenatal nutrient A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Ninety percent of Americans fail to get adequate choline. Now it is confirmed that pregnant women should consume enough choline during pregnancy and while breastfeeding to…
Read MoreReadmission Rates For Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure According to a recent study published in Circulation: Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association, approximately 25% of heart failure patients with Medicare are readmitted to the hospital within a month after discharge.Heart failure occurs when a heart weakened by disease can no longer pump effectively. The researchers used data…
Read MoreJournal of the American Medical Association Editor Says Influence of Big Pharma is Out of Control The Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, is quoted in a recent AP story on the widening influence the pharmaceutical industry as saying that the “influence that the pharmaceutical companies, the for-profits, are having on every aspect of…
Read MoreCertificate of Merit Rule Change Pennsylvania’s Certificate of Merit Rules have changed for medical malpractice cases. Several years ago, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted rules requiring lawyers to file a certificate of merit when filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Those rules enabled a defendant, such as a doctor or hospital, to obtain a judgment WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE against the…
Read MorePA Law to Ban Mandatory Overtime at Hospitals The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has signed into law a bill that will prohibit health care facilities from requiring mandatory overtime of staff. The law is set to take effect in July 2009. It will protect nurses, technicians, technologists, certified nursing assistants and phlebotomists, and other caregivers from…
Read MoreDeadly medical errors more common than previously estimated Medical malpractice is more widespread than prior studies have revealed. The newest study released by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that one in seven Medicare patients were harmed by the care they received in the hospital during a month studied by the agency. The study shows that hospital patients…
Read MoreSilent Heart Attacks More Common Than Previously Thought A new study from Duke University Medical Center shows that silent heart attacks may occur more frequently than physicians thought. A heart attack happens when a clot gets in the way of blood flow from a coronary artery to the heart. This may cause symptoms such as severe chest pain, shortness of…
Read MoreStudy Finds Hormone Therapy Increases Risk of Ovarian Cancer According to a recent study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who use hormone therapy after menopause may be at a higher risk of ovarian cancer. The researchers studied 909,946 Danish women, ages 50 to 79. Overall, 3,068 women developed ovarian cancer, and, of those,…
Read MoreHeart Attacks Missed Because Doctors Blame Symptoms on Stress The New York Times reports on two new studies that conclude that signs of heart disease are more likely to be blamed on stress when the patient is a woman. The presence of stress changed the way doctors interpreted a woman’s symptoms, prompting them to suggest psychological factors rather than physical…
Read More