Mills was first diagnosed with CRPS when she was suffering intense pain and swelling in her foot. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her foot - other than the swelling - and blamed the rare disorder. Sadly, Mills suffers from the progressive version of CRPS, so stubbing her toe, for example, could cause excruciating pain to quickly travel to other parts of her boy.
]]> Doctors told Mills she would never become pregnant; it was impossible they said. You might imagine her shock when she began experiencing signs of pregnancy. Her disbelief quickly turned to joy, she was carrying a baby - something she was told couldn't be done. That doesn't mean Mills isn't frightened; there's a significant chance she will feel the pains of childbirth for the rest of her life. Regardless of the risk, she has decided to become a mother.Mills' story is fascinating and her courage is remarkable. Her story also shows that doctors should never get too comfortable in making a diagnosis or prognosis. There is still plenty that we don't know about the human body and its conditions. Whether you believe in miracles or simply overcoming the odds, unpredictable events can benefit patients.
If you're suffered serious harm from a failure to diagnose a medical condition, contact an experienced Ohio misdiagnosis lawyer to discuss your legal options.
Source: dailymail.co.uk, "Woman with rare condition to have baby even though labor could trigger a lifetime of pain," May 10, 2012
]]>Seau's death immediately added fuel to an ongoing debate about the effect that football has on players' brains. Just weeks ago, former Atlanta Falcons player Ray Easterling committed suicide; apparently tired of his daily battle with severe depression and dementia. Easterling, 62, was the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against the NFL. The suit alleges, in part, that the NFL failed to diagnose and treat players who suffered concussions.
]]> In 2011, former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest. Before taking his life, Duerson left a note wishing for his brain to be examined for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Researchers later confirmed that Duerson was suffering from CTE.The debate about head injuries and pro football is highly contentious. Some people say concussions and brain damages are an inherent risk of the game - or even an inseparable part of it. Others state that the average NFL player is expected to hide head injuries or continue playing after suffering a concussion.
Regardless of your stance on the issue, it's important to remember that the most severe effects of concussions and head trauma often don't manifest until long after a player's career is over. When a player suffers a concussion at any level of football, it's crucial for coaches and trainers to ensure that head-injury protocol is carefully followed.
Source: BusinessInsurance.com, "Lead plaintiff in NFL concussion lawsuits dies in apparent suicide," Sheena Harrison, April 26, 2012
]]>The 25 million U.S. residents who aren't proficient English speakers face an unacceptable chance of being a medical malpractice victim because of the language barrier. While it's untenable for Ohio ERs to staff an arsenal of translators for every imaginable language, the value of having a Spanish-speaking interpreter would pay dividends in patient safety.
]]> Hispanic or Latino patients with a limited English vocabulary often have great difficulty in articulating their symptoms - something that's often difficult even when the doctor and patient share speak the same language. That's why the medical study's researchers recommend that emergency rooms use a professional translator - high school Spanish lessons do not count!In rural Ohio communities it's probably unfeasible for hospitals to staff a translator; however, there are 24-hour services that offer professional translators via phone. It's something for every sizable hospital to consider, as it can avoid potentially fatal ER errors such as a medication overdose.
If someone you love has been seriously harmed because of an emergency room error, contact a skilled Ohio medical malpractice to discuss your legal options.
Source: MSNBC Health, "Interpreters in ER may limit medical errors: study," April 17, 2012
]]>It can be expected that the better communication a doctor and patient have and the less miscommunication, the better chance that the patient will not be harmed through preventable errors.
According to The New York Times' summary of the study, the researchers noticed that African-American doctors were generally better at nonverbal communication than their white colleagues. They used more positive nonverbal cues such as eye contact, smiling and even touch when speaking with patients.
]]> White physicians generally treated older patients the same, regardless of race. However, African-American doctors were more likely to employ a friendlier, open body position when dealing with African-American patients as opposed to white patients. While smiling and making eye contact, they were less likely to engage with white patients in an open body position. These results are consistent with past studies showing that female doctors more often used mixed signals in communications with male patients.Previous studies have shown that the quality of doctor-patient communication has a significant impact on patient health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Unconscious problems in communication can lead to social discomfort, which in turn can adversely impact health outcomes. For example, patients in poor health or facing a poor prognosis tend to rely on nonverbal cues as a sign of whether a physician is taking their health seriously.
Research suggests that better doctor-patient nonverbal communication can help reduce this gap. Many medical schools have already added courses and workshops designed to improve communication and cultural understanding in future generations of doctors.
Source: The New York Times, "Doctor and Patient: What Body Language Says About Doctors," Pauline W. Chen, M.D., Feb. 9, 2012
]]>The risks of using antidepressant medications during pregnancy vary according to the type of medication used. Examples of birth defects that researchers have tentatively associated with antidepressants are malformation of limbs, heart defects, lung problems, irritability and jitters. Doctors agree that more studies need to be done to evaluate the risk of antidepressants in causing birth injuries.
High blood-pressure in the mother has also been associated with antidepressant use during pregnancy. It is, however, not advisable to stop using antidepressants during pregnancy because there may be a depression relapse or other withdrawal symptoms associated with the abrupt ending of the medication.
]]> Currently, there are not any antidepressant medications that have been proven ultimately safe to use while pregnant and certain types of antidepressants have been shown to cause birth defects.Deciding whether or not to continue antidepressant use during pregnancy is a conversation to be had between a patient and a doctor to weigh the risks and benefits of taking or not taking the medication.
In addition to injury to patient or the fetus, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies may be liable for damage to the patient for mislabeled or wrongly prescribed medication, so this is a very important discussion to have and to include trusted family and advisors in the decision-making process.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Study describes pros and cons of antidepressant use in pregnancy," Shari Roan, Mar. 5, 2012
]]>According to the Los Angeles Times, a study published recently in the Archives of General Psychiatry discusses the benefits and the risks involved in continuing the use of antidepressants during pregnancy.
The new study looked at pregnant women with depression; some that were on antidepressant medication and some that were not.
]]> The women with depression who were not treated with medication had higher rates of babies with reduced fetal head size and reduced body growth. The women with depression who were on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had higher rates of babies with reduced fetal head size but with normal fetal body growth.Living with depression is difficult and may be even more difficult with hormonal changes during pregnancy. Researchers have found that pregnancy can make depression more difficult to cope with because emotional ranges run high.
It is extremely important to continue some sort of depression treatment during pregnancy. Problems with energy levels, healthy eating, prenatal care or drug or alcohol use may occur without treatment. Of course, no decision on whether to medically treat or not treat depression should be made without a doctor's input and care.
The next post will continue to discuss this complicated subject.
Source: Los Angeles Times, "Study describes pros and cons of antidepressant use in pregnancy," Shari Roan, Mar. 5, 2012
]]>It has been found that these fevers tend to develop after 6 or more hours of numbness so, to combat the potential onset of epidural-related fevers, many doctors delay giving the medication as long as possible. This is especially true if other factors for a potentially complicated delivery are present, such as gestational diabetes or a large infant.
Some researchers and health officials point out that fevers during labor and related birth injuries can have other causes besides epidurals. For example, intrauterine infections can also occur during childbirth and cause an elevated fever. In order for the researchers to rule out intrauterine infections as the cause of the studied women's fevers they would have had to examine the placenta of each child in question, which was not done.
]]> Intrauterine infections can come on suddenly and cause brain damage and cerebral palsy in the newborn. The study did not state whether intrauterine infections were present and not properly diagnosed or treated with antibiotics, or whether fevers were properly treated with medications in an effort to reduce the mother's temperature.The epidural study may not have done enough to conclusively determine that epidurals are linked to birth injuries, but it demonstrates that a fever in childbirth does raise the risk for injury to mother and child.
Studies like this illustrate how critical it is for everyone involved, from the doctor to the mother, to be aware of all the potential outcomes and causes of problematic births so that we can do our best to safeguard against them. The more we know about potential hazards, the better our doctors' procedures will be and the healthier our children will be as a result.
Source: U.S. News and World Report, "Epidural Plus Fever in Mom May Raise Risks for Baby," Jenifer Goodwin, Feb. 3, 2012
]]>This study involved the review of 3,200 women who delivered a child in a Boston, Massachusetts, area hospital in 2000. This latest study built off of previous research that showed a link between epidurals or anesthesia and fevers in mothers during delivery. The study illustrated a previously unknown correlation between fever during labor and a greater risk of breathing difficulties, seizures and poor muscle tone in newborns.
According to the authors of the study, one out of every five children born to a mother who used an epidural experienced some sort of adverse outcome following birth. The study also noted that the higher the mother's fever temperature the greater the likelihood that the baby would experience problems.
]]> Despite the research into childbirth problems and the relation between epidural-caused fevers, not much is known about why the fevers occur. It is believed that the fever is an inflammatory response to the medications.In many incidences of fever, the mothers tended to be older, have large babies and experience longer, more complicated deliveries, which could include other birth injuries, such as shoulder dystocia. For this reason, many doctors delay administering an epidural if there is a risk of a complicated or prolonged delivery because fevers tend to develop after 6 or more hours of numbness.
The next post will continue to discuss this issue.
Source: U.S. News and World Report, "Epidural Plus Fever in Mom May Raise Risks for Baby," Jenifer Goodwin, Feb. 3, 2012
]]>After two rounds of testing, a genetics laboratory concluded that the fetus was only a carrier of the disease and would not be afflicted with the disease. The couple went ahead with the pregnancy and gave birth to a girl in August 2009. Soon after giving birth, the couple found out that the genetics laboratory's diagnosis was wrong because doctors told the couple that their new baby did in fact have Cooley's anemia.
]]> The baby girl underwent her first painful blood transfusion at one month of age. The only chance of saving her life is to have her undergo a bone marrow transplant, which is painful and risky. Chemotherapy must precede the transplant and the child will likely be left infertile.The parents claim in their wrongful birth lawsuit against the genetics lab that negligence on the part of the company led to the false test results. The wrongful birth suit is being brought by both parents because the aftermath of the incorrect information has caused the father as much as the mother anguish through watching the child suffer and knowing the child may die. Both parents have also shared in the financial hardship of treating their daughter's condition.
Source: Courthouse News Service, "LabCorp Still on the Hook for Wrongful Birth Claim," Rose Bouboushian, Nov. 18, 2011
]]>Both parents are carriers of the thalessemia beta trait, which is a condition of the blood. The condition can cause minor to very serious anemia, and the most severe form of the trait is a condition called Cooley's anemia, which requires those afflicted with it to have regular blood transfusions. The blood transfusions cause "excruciating pain," according to the complaint, and a person with the disease usually has a shortened expected lifespan.
]]> When the couple found out they were pregnant, they decided to undergo prenatal genetic testing to determine whether the fetus carried the genes that can cause the devastating illness. After careful thought, prayer and religious counsel, the couple decided that if they found out their fetus would be born with the disease, they would terminate the pregnancy.They were told after two rounds of testing by a genetics laboratory that their baby would not have the dreadful disease, but the genetics laboratory was wrong. It wasn't until after the baby was born that the parents learned she would suffer from Cooley's anemia.
The next post will further discuss this case.
Source: Courthouse News Service, "LabCorp Still on the Hook for Wrongful Birth Claim," Rose Bouboushian, Nov. 18, 2011
]]>According to The New York Times, the report found, in fact, that more than 130,000 Medicare patients may have experienced an adverse event in one month in hospitals, but one in seven errors of those errors went unreported. Federal investigators want to know whether these mistakes are being reported because it is a condition of receiving Medicare money that hospitals report harm done to Medicare patients and take steps to prevent those mistakes in the future.
]]> The investigators found, however, that even when adverse events were recognized as such by medical personnel and reported appropriately, very few of these reports led to systemic changes. The Obama administration is working to improve hospital care. So far, 2,900 hospitals have joined with the administration in a three-year effort to reduce hospital errors and save 60,000 lives.In light of the report, hospitals are saying they will do more to educate employees as to what constitutes an adverse event or harm to a patient and how these events should be reported. Hopefully, with more reporting of errors, more patterns can be noticed and more changes can be put in place hospital-wide and nation-wide to reduce these errors. Even so, many incidents of medical malpractice and wrongful death will still likely occur without being reported or even acknowledged as an error.
Source: The New York Times, "Report Finds Most Errors at Hospitals Go Unreported," Robert Pear, Jan. 6, 2012
]]>These "adverse events" can be serious as they include getting the wrong medications, developing bedsores, and acquiring preventable or hospital-based infections. According to The New York Times, the inspector general recently estimated that among Medicare patients alone, more than 130,000 experienced at least one adverse event in the course of one month in hospitals around the country.
Yet, a recently released report by federal investigators shows that hospital workers overwhelmingly do not report adverse events affected Medicare patients when they happen. The report says that only one in seven errors and accidents affecting Medicare patients are reported, even when these errors result in a patient's death.
]]> Why not? The federal government investigation pointed to a number of possible reasons, but the report listed as the most prevalent reason that hospital personnel were not knowledgeable enough to recognize just what is an adverse event or that it should be reported.In some cases, hospital staff just assumed someone else would do it. Other times, hospital staff did not want to admit their own mistakes. Whatever the case, the lack of reporting raises serious concerns to government regulators because it is a condition of receiving Medicare funds that hospitals report adverse events affecting Medicare patients and take steps to improve patient care.
The next blog post will continue to discuss this issue.
Source: The New York Times, "Report Finds Most Errors at Hospitals Go Unreported," Robert Pear, Jan. 6, 2012
]]>This means that nurses who have mistreated their patients through abuse or neglect may still be working as nurses. Sometimes nurses even get fired from their current employer after complaints are filed, but they just get a job at another company because they still have their license have not faced a disciplinary hearing and their new employer does not know of their history.
]]> The Dayton Daily told the story of a nurse who is accused of causing a patient's death a year ago who still hasn't had a hearing with the Nursing Board. The nurse is accused of neglecting her 14-year-old disabled patient. The girl died of starvation during her Medicaid-funded care by a nurse in her home.The Board wants to provide due process, but the process is taking so long that it puts other vulnerable patients in danger. The number of complaints has jumped in recent years. In fiscal year 2011, there were 6,880 complaints.
Source: Dayton Daily News, "Complaint backlog allows nurses to keep working," Josh Sweigart and Doug Page, Feb. 24, 2012
]]>This means they can check whether their diagnosis was correct or wrong and how effective certain therapies or treatments were or whether they made worsened a person's condition. Without autopsies, doctors mistakes can be buried with the patient.
As noted in the previous post, one reason doctors do not perform autopsies is because they are more confident that new technologies are resulting in more precise and accurate diagnoses. Studies have shown, however, that even with sophisticated medical equipment doctors still have high rates of common diagnostic errors that were either related to a patient's cause of death or were severe enough to have led directly to the patient's death.
]]> Only by conducting an autopsy - also known as "the ultimate medical audit" - can a doctor's mistakes be discovered. Without that discovery, doctors unknowingly and recklessly continue to repeat their mistakes. As a result, medical malpractice can often go unnoticed and unpunished.Another negative implication of hospitals conducting fewer autopsies is that without autopsies doctors cannot confirm a patient's exact cause of death. Autopsies can often reveal surprise medical ailments that went undiscovered, undiagnosed and untreated, and therefore can lead to wrongful deaths that go unreported.
Source: ProPublica, "Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes," Marshall Allen, Dec. 15, 2011
]]>More than 50 years ago autopsies were routinely performed on approximately half of all hospital patients who died. Prior to 1971, The Joint Commission, the health-care facility accrediting agency, mandated autopsy rates of 20 and 25 percent for community hospitals and teaching facilities, respectively.
But that requirement has since been dropped. Without that requirement, most hospitals across the country are conducting autopsies at increasingly lower rates. In fact, many new hospitals are being built without places to conduct autopsies on site. And most insurance companies nowadays do not pay for autopsies (the average cost of an autopsy is around $1,300).
]]> The use of modern diagnostic equipment like MRIs and CT scans also contributes to fewer autopsies being performed. Those tools have given doctors an increased confidence about identifying ailments in patients while they are still alive. Therefore, doctors have steadily moved away from ordering autopsies after patients die.But autopsies are still crucial medical tools that are used to better diagnose and treat patients and evaluate doctor performance because doctors still make mistakes. They may never find out whether they made the correct diagnosis or used the best treatment or therapy if they do not find out through an autopsy how a patient died, which means they doctors will continue to make the same mistakes.
The next post will continue to discuss this issue.
Source: ProPublica, "Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes," Marshall Allen, Dec. 15, 2011
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