Brain injury has been moved to the forefront of national news by virtue of the N.F.L.'s recent settlement with former players who have developed neurologic syndromes associated with head injuries and concussion. While sports-related head injuries are getting much attention, it appears that another segment of the population is being neglected: women who sustain concussions. Discussion at [...]
Medical negligence cases involving children are a particular interest of Mishkind Kulwicki Law. As such, a recent report by Public Citizen caught my eye. The report involves unethical research performed at a number of U.S. hospitals, including University Hospitals of Cincinnati in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati and University Hospitals of Cleveland in conjunction with Case Western [...]
Surgical errors may result from the decision to perform unnecessary surgery. A recent study performed by the Mayo Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery reports that thyroidectomy -- surgical removal of the thyroid gland -- is often performed unnecessarily. According to the Mayo Center, surgical removal of the thyroid has more than tripled in the [...]
Medical errors arising out of missed test reports are surprisingly common at VA facilities, according to a new report published in JAMA Internal Medicine. As a medical malpractice attorney, I am always interested in public perceptions about healthcare. One popular opinion is that the care provided at VA medical centers is often poor quality. My experience tells [...]
Birth injuries are a common source of medical negligence claims in the U.S. One compelling reason for this is the fact that when a newborn suffers an avoidable neurological complication as a result of obstetrical malpractice, the costs -- both human and economic -- are catastrophic. C-sections are frequently performed to avoid risks associated with [...]
Medical errors frequently arise out of use of anticoagulants such as Heparin, Warfarin and Coumadin. These errors cause harm when the level of anticoagulation is either too high, leading to bleeding complications, or too low, leading to clotting problems. Either type of complication can have catastrophic consequences, such as hemorrhagic stroke, thromboembolic stroke, pulmonary embolism, HIT [...]
The root cause of most cases of nursing negligence is, in reality, hospital negligence in failing to properly staff its units with an adequate number of experienced registered nurses. A new culprit is the electronic medical record, which is prone to medication errors and creating fields of useless, unreliable and inaccurate data in a patient's hospital chart. Following is a [...]
Truck and car accidents, as well pedestrian and bicycle accidents, are being increasingly caused by texting while driving. Drivers who send text messages while driving divert their eyes from the road, thereby drifting and becoming disoriented. Simulations show that texting and driving are as dangerous as drunk driving. I have handled several of these cases and am currently handling [...]
"Empathy" is defined by Merriam-Webster, in part, as "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, ... the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another..." Why would a plaintiff's personal injury and medical malpractice attorney write about empathy? Well, the answer is easy for so many reasons. In this blog, part 1, I will [...]
The main role of emergency medicine specialists is to decide whether to admit a patient to the hospital for treatment, observation or further investigation. However, a critical function of the ER doctor is to interpret early test results to decide whether the patient's condition is life-threatening or not. In this regard, ER physicians must be able to [...]