$10 Million Awarded to Amputee in Houston Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Man has leg, fingers, and toes unnecessarily amputated due to botched procedure

According to the Houston Chronicle, a Harris County jury has awarded a Houston man $10 million in a lawsuit filed against Methodist Hospital and the doctors who treated him there.

In 2002, the man underwent heart surgery for an improperly functioning valve. After the surgery, he developed gangrene and had to have multiple amputations, including his left leg above the knee, his fingers and the toes on his right foot.

The lawsuit alleged Methodist Hospital failed to monitor the patient properly for blood disorders after they administered the drug Heparin. Heparin is a widely used blood thinner that is known to have side effects including immunological reactions that cause excess bleeding. This, alleged the plaintiff, resulted in the development of gangrene.

If you or a loved one in Pennsylvania has been harmed by a medical mistake, […]

Woman Settles Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The Orlando Sentinel reports a woman who ended up having both arms and legs amputated, allegedly due to a flesh-eating-bacteria, has settled her lawsuit against the hospital for an undisclosed amount.

After delivering a son at the Orlando Regional Healthcare System, Inc. (now called Orlando Health) in 2005, the woman developed a rash, fever, chills and other symptoms. The next day, even though she was in extreme pain the hospital tried to discharge her, according to her lawsuit, but her husband refused to take her home, and the following day surgery revealed she had gangrene in her belly.

Her condition grew worse and it was determined her body was being ravaged by Group A Streptococcal infection – a flesh eating bacteria. In hopes of saving her life, health care personnel amputated all four of her limbs. She is now confined to a motorized wheelchair.

Medical negligence is the result of a health care provider’s failure to provide the expected standard of care. […]

Neurosurgeons Sued For Alleged Malpractice On Child’s Surgery

The parents of 5-year-old Katie have sued North Shore University Hospital and their star neurosurgeons for a spine operation that left the child unable to touch her toes, walk upstairs, and in constant pain.

The parents allege the surgery was unnecessary, reports the NY Daily News.

Before the surgery, which the surgeons claimed would help alleviate a rare brain defect known as Chiari Malformation, Katie was happy and active, riding her two wheeler and playing soccer, the parents alleged.

Katie’s parents are among at least four other families suing Doctors Thomas Milhorat and Paolo Bolognese for alleged unnecessary surgeries that inflicted further harm to the patients, according to the newspaper.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a form of medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Our attorneys at Munley Law are experienced and successful medical malpractice litigators and we fight to protect the rights of patients. […]

VT. Carbon Monoxide Wrongful Death/Personal Injury Lawsuit Settled

The Associated Press has announced the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning in Burlington, VT have settled out of court with the parties they named in their lawsuit.

Although not revealing the amount, the 23-year-old woman, who nearly died in the incident is said to be pleased with the settlement. The estate of her boyfriend, who died in the poisoning, also settled out of court.

In January 2005, carbon monoxide poisoning in the Redstone Apartments, which houses roughly 200 residents, killed one and sent nine others to the hospital. The investigation revealed a faulty boiler and a recalled pipe were to blame for the leak resulting in 40 times the normal level of carbon monoxide.

UVM students occupied most of the rooms of the apartment building, which did not have carbon monoxide detectors at the time of the incident.

Both families sued the building and maintenance companies of the Redstone Apartments and the installers of the heating boiler and pipe. […]

Dakota Urology Clinic Sued for $5 Million in Medical Malpractice

Five plaintiffs are asking for $5 million in damages from the Siouxland Urology Center in Dakota Dunes, SD. claiming negligence, medical malpractice, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In the 22 page class-action lawsuit the patients claim Siouxland Urology breached the standard of care by re-using certain disposable medical equipment which caused damages to the patients. Manufacturers recommend the equipment used in cystoscopy procedures be used only once. Siouxland Urology denies any unsterilized equipment ever came into direct contact with patients.

South Dakota Department of Health has ordered the Center to change its cystoscopy practices and the Center is offering a free blood test to check for HIV and Hepatitis for the 5,200 affected patients.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a form of medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Our attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys are experienced and successful medical malpractice litigators and we fight to protect the rights of patients. […]

$3 million Settlement Reached in SC Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Misread CT scan causes death of young girl

A 29-year-old mother of three has reached a settlement agreement with six doctors at the Chester Regional Medical Center in South Carolina for medical negligence which caused her daughter’s death in 2005.

According to the lawsuit, the young woman sought medical help at the emergency room on three occasions for severe abdominal pain. The CT scan was misread the first two times. On her third trip to the emergency room, the doctors and surgeons found she suffered from a twisted bowel and performed surgery. They found her intestine was dead because the blood supply had been cut off. She died the night of her operation from her untreated medical condition.

The lawsuit alleges if the CT scan had been read correctly the first time at the emergency room, the condition could have been corrected and the young woman’s life would have been saved. […]

$11 Million Verdict Awarded For Death of Brain Injury Victim

Largest verdict awarded against assisted living facility in the United States

An Arizona jury has awarded $11 million to the widow of a 36-year-old man with traumatic brain injury who died after ingesting foreign objects at an assisted living facility.

The verdict included $2 million for the decedent, $5 million for the wife and $4 million in punitive damages. Attorneys in the case say it is the largest verdict ever awarded against an assisted living facility in the United States.

It is indeed tragic when a person with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) does not receive proper care. We at Munley, Munley & Cartwright are committed to handling claims of Pennsylvania individuals sustaining traumatic brain injury. We are committed to spending the time with you and your family members to gain a deep understanding for each and every way the injury has affected your life. […]

Never Means Never Under New Policy Under Medicare

Editor: In this world of skyrocketing health-care costs and financial crises, some good news has finally come to the average American consumer and taxpayer.

Last week, Medicare changed its rules to withhold payment for certain “never events” — medical mistakes that should never occur, such as administering the wrong blood type or leaving an instrument inside a surgical patient. Medicare also says it won’t pay for serious bed sores, injuries from falls and urinary tract infections caused by catheters, among other things. Four state Medicaid programs, including Pennsylvania, as well as several of the nation’s largest health insurers, are following suit.

It’s about time. Unlike any other service we consume, we have been living — and dying — with a U.S. health-care system that rewards mistakes and profits by making patients sicker. Hospitals that fail to prevent deadly post-operative infections, turning three-day stays into three-month stays, […]

Top 10 Tips To Get Out Of The Hospital Alive

As reported in the Citizen’s Voice preventable medical errors are a leading cause of death in America. According to the Institute of Medicine, up to 98,000 patients a year die in U.S. hospitals due to preventable errors. Last year, Pennsylvania hospitals reported more than 200,000 patient safety incidents, more than 7,000 of which resulted in serious injury or death, according to the state’s Patient Safety Authority.While doctors and hospitals across the country pursue various ways to treat the epidemic of medical errors, many experts believe the best prescription is vigilance by patients and their families. In observance of National Patient Safety Day, which is today, we have compiled a list of the “Top 10 Tips to Get Out of the Hospital Alive.”

1. Educate yourself. Although the malpractice records of individual health-care providers are often kept secret, you can check out doctors and hospitals through the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine; […]

Doctors Less Likely to Catch Strokes in Women

According to an article from Prevention Magazine, doctors often overlook women’s stroke risk, leaving them more vulnerable to the life-threatening condition than men.

Today researchers are working hard to raise awareness of female risk factors for stroke, also called “brain attacks.”

Dr. Lewis Morgenstern, MD, director of the stroke program at the University of Michigan Medical School, told Prevention, “We all learned in medical school that strokes and heart attacks are male problems. The reality is far different.”

In fact, women aged 45-54 are twice as likely as their male counterparts to suffer a stroke. However, a woman’s symptoms are usually diagnosed slower and treated less aggressively than a man’s.

Don’t allow you or your loved one to loss precious time because of this gender gap! The moments that pass between the stroke’s onset to treatment could be the difference between life and death or permanent impaired. […]

Aviation, Trucking Regulators Warned About Dangers of Pfizer Drug

Smoking cessation drug Pfizer comes with more than a few side effects

Pfizer’s new smoking cessation drug, Chantix, has hit a few bumps in the road since it received FDA approval in May 2006. The drug’s sales have been stumbling since this the FDA announced new label warnings were necessary due to increasing evidence that drug triggers changes in behavior and suicidal tendencies in some patients. Now, other potentially dangerous side effects are coming to light, but you wouldn’t know it from their adorable television commercials.

On Wednesday, a study was released by the not-for-profit organization, the Institute on Safe Medication Practices. It blasted the drug for adverse reactions such as “serious accidents and falls, potentially lethal cardiac rhythm disturbances, severe skin reactions, acute myocardial infarction, seizures, abnormal muscle spasms/movements, visual disturbances, diabetes, sudden losses of consciousness, psychosis, aggression and suicide.” The drug accounted for 988 reports of serious injuries in the 4th quarter of 2007, […]

Pool Season Safety

The summer season is pool season. Many of us will shed the layers of clothes we’ve been hiding under all winter to soak up some sun and catch a few waves (or, if you are more like me, find a giant raft to lazily float around on!)

Pools can be a lot of fun, but we all know that they pose a lot of risks, too. The risks are even greater when there are children involved. Accidental drowning is the #2 killer of children up to the age of 14. So as you are gearing up for pool season this year, remember to take into account the potential dangers that are lurking in the water, and prepare your kids to have fun- safely!

Here are some tips:

• (This is a no-brainer) Never leave your kids unattended in or around the water, and make sure an adult is present at all times. […]

Surgery on Holiday?

A few years back, we starting hearing about “medical tourism.” It’s basically when folks travel to other countries such as Thailand and India for surgery or other types of medical care.

Now, we’ve heard arguments both for and against it; however, none so interesting as the insight provided this Texas orthopedic surgeon, which you could watch here.

He actually says that one reason patients shouldn’t go overseas and pay a fraction of U.S. medical costs (50-80% less, even after travel expenses) because of the question, “Is there legal recourse for the patient?”

Did he really just say that? It seemed odd to us that a doctor practicing in a state that fought so hard to limit an injured patient’s legal recourse, that this would really be a concern for him. Why would it worry him that patients be denied access to “frivolous” […]

Spring Ramblings

I was driving home from work yesterday on a beautiful afternoon, and it got me to thinking. Now that the weather is warmer and spring is in full swing, I have noticed that all of the kids in my neighborhood are playing outside more, and taking advantaged of the extended daylight. For them, it is finally time to test out that new bike that Santa brought last winter.

I can remember these days as a kid, when school was drawing to a close, and I’d hit the streets atop my favorite bike just to feel the fresh breeze through my hair. Now in my mind’s eye, it is perfect, but as a grown, responsible adult, I notice that there was something wrong with that picture- no helmet! The fact is today we know that bike helmets work. They save lives and protect kids from some pretty serious injuries by as much as 88%. […]

HIPAA- A Barrier Between You & Your Medical Records?

Back in 1996, when the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law, the intention of the law (especially Title IV) was to protect a patient’s right to privacy, reduce fraudulent activity, streamline data systems and improve the health insurance system overall.

For years prior to the law’s passage, there was no federal standard for obtaining your medical records. Without the patient’s knowledge, records were being given to insurance companies, sent to landfills or just flat-out lost. Alerted by highly publicized lapses in medical record confidentiality (a garbage truck crash that sent medical records flying all over the highways, a doctor selling a computer without deleting patient information from the hard drive, and the list went on and on), lawmakers decided a better system was needed. So the whole theory behind HIPAA regs are that your medical records are just that, yours, […]