Medical Malpractice

• Tampa's VA Hospital Failure to Sterilize

  Joe Saunders | April 11, 2006 7:15 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  In an investigation made public yesterday, officials at Tampa's James A. Haley VA Medical Center disclosed that two cranial implants were not properly sterilized prior to surgery. This is a very serious failure on the part of the hospital and calls into question the basic care patients at the facility are likely to receive. When a patient enters a hospital, especially when facing the...

• First Guidant Defibrillator Trial Postponed

  Joe Saunders | April 11, 2006 6:52 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  The first Guidant defective defibrillator trial has been postponed because one of the witnesses is unavailable due to the Passover holiday. The judge has said that the case will most likely resume in July.

• Guidant Corp. Cited by Senate Committee

  Joe Saunders | March 13, 2006 6:33 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has introduced legislation that would toughen penalties for companies and their executives who sold products that cause injury or death. Presently, there are only civil penalties for such behavior. In announcing the legislation, Specter singled out Guidant Corp. and their defective defibrillators as an example of actions that would be...

• Medtronic Continued Selling Defibrillators in Spite of Failures

  Joe Saunders | February 20, 2006 9:10 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  Medtronic Inc. continued selling flawed cardiac defibrillators for two years after learning that some of them may suddenly quit working, according to company documents filed in a California lawsuit. After Medtronic last year recalled the devices, 19,000 people had to have surgery for a replacement, said Medtronic spokesman Rob Clark. At least one of them died from post- surgical complications,...

• Boston Scientific Medical Device Recall

  Joe Saunders | January 27, 2006 4:09 PM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  Attorney Jordan Margolis posted a nice piece on two Boston Scientific medical device recalls. Those who have had these devices should check the product information against their medical records and seek both medical and legal advice regarding these product recalls.

• Guidant's Troubles Aren't Over

  Joe Saunders | January 23, 2006 8:03 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  On January 19, 2006, a Texas judge ordered Guidant to hand over internal documents that might show the company continued to sell some of its heart defibrillator models after knowing that the devices might prove faulty. The NY Times reported the following day that the documents appear to show that some Guidant executives recommended in January 2005 that perhaps the company should find a way to...

• Sign Your Rights Away or Die

  Ed Normand | June 06, 2008 11:38 PM | 1 CommentOrlando, FL

  Many health care providers are requiring patients to sign lengthy agreements absolving them from liablity for malpractice as a condition of treatment. A typical scenario is a family needs to put a...

• Florida Ranks 31st in Serious Physician Disciplinary Actions

  Sandy Grinnell | April 24, 2008 10:19 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  A study by the Public Citizen, an independent watchdog group, reported a significant drop in State Medical Board Serious Disciplinary Actions against doctor's from 2005 to 2007. It is their opinion...

• Missouri Seeks to Increase Liability for Abortion Malpractice

  Ed Normand | February 15, 2008 6:01 PM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  Proposed legislation in Missouri increase the liability caps in medical malpractice cases for cases of abortion malpractice. . Under the present medical malpractice caps in Missouri, pain and suffering damage awards are capped at $350,000. The new law would make the caps invalid in claims of abortion related medical malpractice. Obviously this will be a hot topic and highly debated between...

• FDA Warns of Burns from Dental Equipment

  Diego Madrigal | December 17, 2007 6:28 PM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  The FDA has issued a warning stemming from improperly maintained electrical dental equipment. The poorly maintained equipment can result in third degree burns. In fact, some of the patients even needed to undergo plastic surgery as a result. One of the main reason for the alert directed at dental professionals was that the burns may become apparent only after tissue damage has occurred...