Of the 7,000 fatal medication errors each year, approximately 25 percent occur when doctors or pharmacists confuse drug names that look or sound alike. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) screens medication names before drugs are approved, the growing number of brand name and generic drugs on the market still leads to mix-ups. [...] Read more »
Displaying all posts for ‘Medical Malpractice’
FDA Warns of Medication Errors Related to Drug Name Mix Up
by vaagelaw May 24, 2013 » Add the first comment.
Misdiagnosis Among Top Medical Errors
by vaagelaw May 22, 2013 » Add the first comment.
While misdiagnosis does not receive the same attention as wrong-site surgeries or medication errors, it is far more common. In fact, missed, incorrect or delayed diagnoses reportedly account for 10 to 20 percent of all medical errors. As the Washington Post reports, recent studies highlight the gravity of the problem. a 2009 study funded by [...] Read more »
Safety Advocates Call For Improved Bed Rail Standards to Protect Elderly
by vaagelaw May 20, 2013 » Add the first comment.
Consumer protection groups are calling for tougher safety standards for bed rails. They argue that regulators should take the same approach that helped improve crib safety to help another vulnerable population—the sick and elderly. Bed rails are metal or plastic bars positioned along the side of a bed, also commonly known as side rails. Bed [...] Read more »
FDA Warns Medical Bed Mattresses Pose Risk of Contamination and Patient Infection
by vaagelaw May 16, 2013 » Add the first comment.
Patients in San Diego hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities could be at risk for infection from an unlikely source—their bed mattress. The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) recently issued a safety communication about damaged or worn mattress covers. A medical bed mattress cover provides outer protection to a medical bed mattress by preventing [...] Read more »
Is Drastic Overhaul Needed for Medical Board of California?
by vaagelaw May 13, 2013 » Add the first comment.
Lawmakers are currently considering drastic changes to the oversight of California’s doctors and medical facilities. They contend that the Medical Board of California has been ineffective in protecting patients by failing to discipline physician misconduct and neglecting oversight of outpatient surgical centers. The Medical Board of California was created in 1975 to provide tougher physician [...] Read more »
Joint Commission Issues Alert on Alarm Fatigue
by vaagelaw May 7, 2013 » Add the first comment.
Many medical devices are equipped with alarms that provide information necessary to deliver appropriate care and to guide treatment decisions. However, patient alarms are often so frequent in hospitals that nurses and other health professionals begin to tune them out. This phenomenon is referred to as “alarm fatigue.” Given the risks to patient safety, the [...] Read more »
Study Reveals New Risks of Robotic Surgery
by vaagelaw May 2, 2013 » Add the first comment.
While robotic surgery certainly has some advantages over its human counterpart, a new study confirms that it also has unforeseen risks. As San Diego medical malpractice attorneys, we are still not ready to dismiss our lingering questions about its safety. The study, published in the Journal of Urology, examined nerve injury associated with patient positioning [...] Read more »
FDA Issues Warning About Heart Problems Linked to Common Antibiotic
by vaagelaw April 30, 2013 » Add the first comment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a public warning about the safety of azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax). The popular antibiotic can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm. According to the FDA, patients at particular risk for developing [...] Read more »
Sterility Problems at Compounding Pharmacy Leads to Drug Recall
by vaagelaw April 18, 2013 » Add the first comment.
The safety practices of another U.S. compounding pharmacy are now (literally) under a microscope. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of the cancer drug Avastin after five patients contracted eye infections that may cause blindness. According to the FDA, Avastin syringes produced and distributed by Clinical Specialties Compounding Pharmacy (CSCP) were being used [...] Read more »
Rabies Death Shines Spotlight on Transplant Safety
by vaagelaw April 16, 2013 » Add the first comment.
After a man died from rabies following a kidney transplant, patient safety advocates are calling for additional organ screening procedures. The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed that the Maryland patient contracted the infection through organ transplantation performed more than a year ago. The patient was one of four people who had received an organ [...] Read more »
