A so-called "never event" involving wrong-side surgery has once again come back to haunt a family. The recent botched operation further underscores the fact that, despite lip service being paid to patient safety and the advent of safety-enhancing assists such as surgery checklists and "timeouts," sheer preventable medical error continues to exist in hospitals across the country, with serious and sometimes deadly consequences.
Opinion: Drug maker's apology for thalidomide too little, too late
When the German-manufactured drug thalidomide first gained global traction in the late 1950s as an effective pain killer and sedative that pregnant women could safely take to relieve morning sickness and aid sleep, it was touted by its manufacturer as "totally without harm" and as "a wonder drug."
Trend: State courts pronouncing malpractice caps unconstitutional
The strong efforts of tort reform advocates to install stringent damage caps on noneconomic (pain and suffering) damages in medical malpractice cases are being responded to in negative ways in a growing number of states that reject the notion as being unconstitutional.
Large malpractice recovery for family in Hopkins birth injury case
A Baltimore Circuit Court jury recently heard two conflicting versions of the care that a woman in labor received at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after arriving there on a morning in March 2010.
Court: Disability cannot bar child's right of courtroom access
A medical malpractice lawsuit brought in Georgia concerning a birth injury has drawn the strong attention of that state's Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this week on the right of a natural party to be present in a courtroom in a matter concerning that party.
New ACOG Guidelines for EFM Use May Put Unborn Babies at Risk
New guidelines for the use of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) by hospitals and clinics, released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, may put unborn babies at risk for birth injuries and their mothers at unnecessary risks as well.
New Medical Technique Treats Brain Injuries in Newborns
Recent medical research has demonstrated that the use of a new medical procedure, referred to as "brain cooling," has been shown to save the lives of newborns that experienced oxygen deprivation at birth, which is known to cause severe and sometimes fatal brain injuries.
