Medical Malpractice

• Plastic Surgery Follw-up

  Paul Grieco | August 29, 2006 3:10 PM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  In follow-up to my July 31, 2006 blog concerning plastic surgery and medical malpractice, please review the following verdict which was recently obtained in Florida. Woman awarded $8 millionPosted FLORIDA THE STATE IN BRIEFAugust 25, 2006 NAPLES -- A jury has awarded a Lee County woman $8.25 million after she lost both her breasts in an alleged botched plastic surgery, her attorney...

• Body Snatcher Had a Long History in Human Tissue Trade

  Jack Landskroner | August 29, 2006 9:11 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  In early 2006 the FDA closed down the human tissue recovery agency, Biomedical Tissue Services, operated by a defrocked dentist and a former funeral director. Concerns over questionable tissue recovery practices gave rise to the recall of over 13,000 lots of human tissue which were believed to pose risk for infectious disease including Hepatitis and HIV. Last week the FDA closed yet another...

• Delay in Cancer Diagnosis Can Result from Lack of Medical Vigilance

  Jack Landskroner | August 27, 2006 10:29 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  Doctors are taught when assessing a patient's medical condition to create what is known as a "differential diagnosis:" that is, essentially a listing of the possibilities causing the patient's problems. The physician then determines the most probable causes taking efforts to rule out the most ominous conditions, including cancer, before resolving that the condition is a less serious concern. ...

• Autopsy Can Be Important when Malpractice Suspected

  Justin Madden | August 22, 2006 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  The saying goes that doctors bury their mistakes. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of truth to the saying. Therefore, although the idea of an autopsy for a loved one is not a pleasant thought, there are occasions where an autopsy is virtually essential when medical malpractice is suspected. An autopsy, performed by an independent and objective pathologist, is a family's last opportunity to...

• FDA Recalls More Human Tissue From Donor Referral Services of Raleigh, North Carolina,

  Jack Landskroner | August 20, 2006 1:16 PM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  The public health crisis created by the improper and illegal harvesting of human tissue continues to grow. U.S. health officials ordered yet another human tissue collection company to shut down on Friday, saying lapses in screening and record keeping put recipients of the donated body parts at risk of infection.Donor Referral Services of Raleigh, North Carolina, and its owner, Philip Guyett,...

• Antidepressant Meds Increase Risk of Neonatal Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

  Jack Landskroner | August 17, 2006 10:47 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  The FDA has published a July 2006 alert to warn pregnant woman of the risk of taking antidepressant during pregnancy. A recently published case-control study has shown that infants born to mothers who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) after the 20th week of pregnancy were 6 times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants born to mothers who did...

• Argument that Overzealous Guardians Hamper Research Undermines Tissue Donor's Right to Full Disclosure

  Jack Landskroner | August 16, 2006 11:02 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  Biomedical scientists say it has become increasingly difficult to get access to the human tissue necessary for research that can save lives. Garry Jennings, who is the director of the Baker Heart Research Institute and the Alfred Hospital as well as president-elect of the Australian Association of Medical Research Institutes suggests: "Our experience is that the consumers who serve on ethics...

• Prosecution of Body Parts Snatchers Moving Ahead

  Jack Landskroner | August 11, 2006 5:20 PM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  For those recipients of allograft tissue transplants taken illegally from cadavers in NY and NJ, you'll be happy to learn that one of the target criminal defendants has apparently entered into an agreement to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of the other defendants including the alleged mastermind behind the scam, Michael Mastromarino. Mastromarino and three other defendants...

• Prescription Mis-fills on the Rise

  Justin Madden | August 02, 2006 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  The American pharamceutical industry is a mutli-billion dollar industry. But, the United State is experiencing a shortage of qualifed phamarcists. At the same time physicians are writing an increasing number of prescriptions for their patients. The overworked and harried pharamacists at the drug stores are struggling to keep a timely pace with the flood of prescriptions. This situation creates...

• Magistrate Judge Moves Defective Tissue Cases Along

  Jack Landskroner | August 02, 2006 7:50 AM | 0 CommentsCleveland, OH

  Earlier this week Federal Magistrate Judge Ronald J. Hedges, in the United States District Court District of New Jersey, conducted a hearing on matters related to the Human Tissue Litigation stemming from the improper and illegal harvesting of tissue subsequently used by doctors and hospital across the country in surgical procedures. Defendants Medtronic, Spinal Graft Technologies, and...