The recently published HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study reviewed nearly 5,000 hospitals from 2003 to 2005 found that medical errors have continued to rise.
The recently published HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study reviewed nearly 5,000 hospitals from 2003 to 2005 found that medical errors have continued to rise. In that 3-year period, patient safety incidents in U.S. hospitals went up by three percent overall, while the error gap between the best and worst performing hospitals remained wide. During that time period, the study also found that there were 247,662 potentially preventable deaths in U.S. hospitals. The firm of NAPOLI BERN RIPKA represents victims of such sub-standard care and medical negligence throughout the metropolitan New York City area. Fees and profits should never be put ahead of responsible care. The firm of NAPOLI BERN RIPKA is also one of the nation's leading pharmaceutical injury law firms, having successfully represented thousands of clients injured by drugs as varied as Rezulin, Baycol and the diet drug commonly referred to as Fen-phen.
Written by Paul Napoli on April 4th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Medical Malpractice and and Nursing Home Abuse and Birth Injuries and Broken Bones.
Meriter Hospital of Dane County Wisconsin was cleared of any negligence in the birth of baby boy born in 2001. The child suffered birth injuries and has cerebral palsy and is not able to walk or talk. One of the doctors in attendance was found not negligent by the jury as well.
After some 18 hours of deliberations spread over two days, jurors found two nurses from the hospital negligent in the duties they performed at the birth, but said that negligence was not a cause of Jake's injuries.
The jury could not reach an agreement on the second doctor that was present at the delivery. The jury did not decide on any kind of monetary damages for the boy. Motions need to be filed before the case can proceed.
Written by Shannon Weidemann on March 8th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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A widely prescribed class of drugs used primarily for treatment of hypertension, called "ACE inhibitors" have been linked to birth defects. The drugs, including captopril and lisinopril, can cause bone abnormalities in the skull, inhibition of growth and kidney damage that can kill the fetus or newborn. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 30 percent of fetuses are affected. Physicians have been aware for some time about long-understood hazards in the second or third trimester, and the prescribing information for these drugs warns doctors not to prescribe them for pregnant women and to stop them right away if a woman becomes pregnant.
How the drugs might harm the fetus earlier in pregnancy is not understood. Even though captopril came on the market 25 years ago, until now there was hardly any information on the effect of taking ACE inhibitors in the first trimester, and they were thought to be safe.
Dr. Daniel V. Landers, vice chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Minnesota, said the most important implication of the new study was for women of childbearing age who have high blood pressure and are not yet pregnant. Those planning to become pregnant should not take ACE inhibitors, he said, but doctors and patients should also realize that many pregnancies, close to half, are unplanned. So if the possibility of pregnancy exists, it may be best to avoid the drugs.
Major organs form during the first trimester, and fetuses are quite vulnerable then, Dr. Landers said.
In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Friedman said women who have taken ACE inhibitors during the first trimester should have fetal ultrasound scans and echocardiograms at about 18 weeks.
See the New York Times Article
Written by Denise A. Rubin on June 9th, 2006 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on and Defective Drugs and Birth Injuries.
The following is an interesting article about midwives being prosecuted for several reasons. Thought I would share it.
Written by Jeremy Thurman on April 3rd, 2006 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on and Birth Injuries.