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Half of Hospital Stay Fatalities Caused by Sepsis
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente, a national health care organization, recently discovered that almost half of hospital deaths that occurred between 2010 through 2012 could be traced back to sepsis. Sepsis happens when the whole body responds to a bacterial infection. In many cases, the body’s reaction in order to fight the infection is so severe it can cause organs to shut down, resulting in death.
The study examined over 7 million adult hospitalizations between 2010 and 2012. There were approximately 500,000 cases that were taken directly from Kaiser facilities, however, the remaining 6.5 million cases came from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).
The research team not only examined patient records that were clearly identified as having sepsis, but also patients who were reported to have both organ failure and infections. This was done in light of the fact that many medical personnel do not recognize sepsis symptoms.
Elderly Patients at High Risk for Medical Injuries
When we do to the doctor or hospital because we are sick or injured, we put our trust into the physicians and other medical personnel that the treatment and care they give us will make us well, or at the very least, comfortable. What we do not anticipate is that the care we receive will actually cause more medical issues or be dangerous. But for many elderly patients, that is exactly what happens.
A study that was recently conducted by researchers at the Gerontology Program at Towson University in Maryland revealed that one in five elderly Medicare patients sustain injuries that frequently have nothing to do with the medical problems they are being treated for. Some of the more common injuries include being prescribed medication that causes allergic reactions, being given the wrong medication or having treatments for an illness which causes other medical problems other than the original diagnosis.
Rise in Accidents Involving Stopped Emergency Vehicles
By: Kal Issa
Recently, there has been a spike in vehicle accidents involving stopped emergency vehicles, mainly Illinois State Police vehicles.[1] Unfortunately, some of these accidents have led to the death or serious injury to members of law enforcement. In Illinois, it has been nearly 20 years since lawmakers enacted a criminal statute to address this issue.
Scott’s Law, otherwise known as the “Move Over” law, requires motorists to change lanes away from the shoulder when there is an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder with its emergency red, white, blue or yellow lights flashing.[2] If it not safe for the motorist to make this lane change, the motorist must proceed with due caution and reduce its speed. Scott’s Law was named after Scott Gillen, a Chicago firefighter who was struck and killed by a motorist while on the scene of a crash rendering emergency services.
With this recent rise in fatal accidents, it is fair to presume that prosecutors are ensuring that a motorist ticketed for violation of this law face tougher penalties. A violation of Scott’s Law is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000.00. Even if a violation of this law leads only to property damage to another, the motorist’s license will be suspended for a minimum of three months, up to one year.
Drunk Driving Crashes and Wrongful Death Lawsuits
Summer is here and that means lots of cookouts, family get-togethers, beach days, and vacations. At many of these social gatherings alcohol is served, and all too often, drivers make the decision to get behind the wheel of their vehicles after they have been drinking, with tragic results.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NHTSA), there were 10,265 people killed in drunk driving accidents in 2015, the most current year for which statistics are available. This means that every day that year, 28 people were killed by a drunk driver. This was a sharp increase from the year before, when 9,943 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes.
In Illinois, approximately 1,000 people are killed each year in drunk driving crashes. About 35 percent of those drunk drivers are between the ages of 21 to 24. Each year, law enforcement in Illinois arrest almost 40,000 people on DUI charges, yet these horrible crashes still happen.
One in Four Biopsy Results Could be Incorrect
For many women, having their annual or bi-annual mammogram done and waiting for the results can be somewhat stressful. That stress often turns into fear when the tests show that there is the possibility of the presence of breast cancer. This diagnosis followed by a biopsy to determine whether or not there is cancer present. However, a new study has concluded that many of these biopsy results are actually inaccurate. Those inaccurate diagnoses, which are used to determine what course of treatment should be given, could potentially be causing patients to undergo unnecessary treatments, causing other medical issues.
There are three different types of biopsies which are used by doctors to determine if a patient has breast cancer. When a doctor suspects that a breast lump is filled with fluid, they will usually perform a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. If the lump is only a cyst, then it will typically collapse as the fluid is removed by the needle.
Study Offers New Hope for Female Stroke Victims
A new study has found that administering uric acid, along with the usual clot-busting medication, to women who have suffered strokes, increases their chance of recovering without suffering from disabilities as a result of the stroke.
The researchers found that the uric acid limits brain damage from the stroke. In the study, 42 percent of women who were given both the uric acid and the clot-busting medications were free of any significant disabilities just three months after suffering their stroke. Only 29 percent of female patients who were given just the clot-busting medication showed no signs of significant disabilities in the three months following their stroke.
For men who participated in the study, there was no significant difference in recovery between the patients who received the combination of the acid and medication and those who only received the medication. In all, there were more than 400 stroke patients who participated in the study.
How to Avoid a Potential Medical Malpractice Case
Being affected by a medical malpractice case does not only affect you; the misdiagnosis negatively affects the doctor and his or her medical career. Every year, medical malpractice has killed over 200,000 patients in the United States. To potentially prevent a medical malpractice case from ever occurring, there are ways to establish a good relationship with your doctor.
Making the Right Medical Diagnosis
To make sure that a person avoids as many medical malpractice cases as possible, it is best for him or her to make an appointment with a specialist, depending on the symptoms and type of illness. That person should also have, in writing, all of the symptoms that he or she is experiencing. The person must be truthful in what he or she writes because there have been far too many cases where the person forgets to tell the doctor other experienced symptoms.
What Information Should be Provided for Medical Malpractice?
Medical doctors are almost always very good at identifying key medical problems and getting them resolved as quickly as possible. These doctors have studied for decades to perfect this art. In order to be a good doctor, one has to take all coursework very seriously. There have been far too many cases in which doctors may have misdiagnosed medical problems or even prescribed the wrong medication to their patients, therefore causing unwanted results, including serious injury and death.
What to Do if Affected by Medical Malpractice
When addressed in court, the person affected will likely need to confirm his or her personal information, including full name, any previous names, current residence address, and date of birth.
The affected person will also need to describe the acts of the medical doctor, including specific diagnosis, procedures, tests, and treatments claimed to have caused the injuries. He or she will need to provide the dates of such acts, name and address of each witness, name and address of each knowing individual, and location of hospital and other medical records reflecting such acts.
FDA Warns of Link Between Breast Implants and Cancer
A new statement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning women of a link between breast implants and a certain type of cancer. According to national statistics, approximately 300,000 women receive breast implants each year, making the surgery one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in the country.
According to the warning issued by the FDA, as of February 1, 2017, they had received 359 reports of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), which is cancer of the immune system, that were linked to breast implants. In nine of the reports, the women had died. The majority of the reported cancers—203—were women who had been implanted with textured implants. The other 28 women had received smooth implants.
The FDA also reported that 312 of the reports specified what type of fill was used in the implants of the women who developed ALCL. Silicone gel was used in 186 of the reports and saline was used in 126 of the reports.
Birth Defects Caused By Medical Malpractice
The majority of children are born healthy, but three to four percent of babies will be born with a birth defect. A birth defect is a physiological or physical health concern that is apparent when a child is born. A genetic defect is more likely if it runs in the family, but birth defects can also be caused by the negligence or mistake of a doctor, nurse, or hospital.
There are over 4,000 known birth defects, and although it is not a doctor’s fault for a genetic birth defect, there are tests that can identify some defects early such as, Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, cystic fibrosis, or muscular dystrophy. How to move forward with a pregnancy can be determined by this genetic testing. Not providing these tests, or providing misinformation, can be considered negligent, and put a mother and baby at risk.
Even during a healthy pregnancy, a birth defect is still possible for a child to develop during delivery. These disorders can be caused during birth and may be caused by the negligence of a doctor or hospital.
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
