The incredible fact is that study after study shows that much of the infections acquired in hospitals can be prevented if doctors and other hospital workers washed their hands before and after coming into contact with a patient.
How are they supposed to wash their hands? Well, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention:
When washing hands with soap and water:
•Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
•Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
•Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend.
•Rinse hands well under running water.
•Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
•Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
Here's the bottom line. If you're the patient or somebody who's with the patient when a doctor or other staff person enters the room, watch them. If they don't wash their hands, insist that they do so.
For more information, check out:
MRSA Is Preventable
Infections In Hospitals
MRSA- Too Many People Get Sick In Hospitals
HA-MRSA Is A Growing Danger
A new study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that sepsis and pneumonia, which are caused by hospital-acquired infections like MRSA, killed 48,000 people in 2006. This is said to be the largest study to date. It was based on 69 million records of patients who were discharged from hospitals in the U.S.
Sepsis is a serious condition caused by a bacterial infection. The body’s immune system goes into overdrive, and blood clots are formed which prevent blood from reaching vital organs. This in turn leads to organ failure, which is so life threatening that 1/3 of the people who get sepsis die from it.
Pneumonia can set in if a disease-causing microbe gets into the lungs and respiratory tract. 11% of the people who develop pneumonia in the hospital die as a result.
According to one of the authors of this study, “Infections that are acquired during the course of a hospital stay cost the United States a staggering amount in terms of lives lost and health care costs.”
For more information, check out:
MRSA Is Preventable
Infections In Hospitals
MRSA- Too Many People Get Sick In Hospitals
Soft tissues include ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect two bones together to form a joint. Their purpose is to stabilize the joint and control its range of motion by allowing movement in only certain directions so as to prevent dislocation.
Tendons are cords that come from the end of a muscle and insert into a bond. When your muscle contracts, it pulls on the bone and allows parts of our body to move.
Muscles are tissues which have the ability to contract, and so they act as motors to move a joint.
Picture a rubber band. If you stretch it, it expands. When you let go, it snaps back to the way it was originally. But what happens when you use to much force to stretch the rubber band? It doesn’t return to its original shape. That’s what happens when you over stretch a ligament or a tendon.
We’ve all heard the term “whiplash.” Despite how this word is often used, whiplash is not an injury. Instead, it explains the mechanism of the injury when the head and the neck are taken beyond the range that God intended them to go through.
Let’s take a look at a neck injury caused by a rear end car accident. Upon impact from the rear, the car is propelled forward and the body and the shoulders are driven out from under the head. The head stays still based on the law of inertia that says when an object is still it tends to remain still. As the body and shoulders are pushed forward, and the head stays still, the head snaps backwards, severely stressing the neck. As the car abruptly comes to a stop either from hitting the car in front or from the driver braking, the head recoils forward because of the momentum of the stopping car. This movement causes the ligaments and muscles to become torn and strained, and this causes hemorrhages. This eventually heals with scar tissue which is not as elastic as a normal muscle, and this in turn causes your brain to tell you you’re in pain.
]]>Next thing they do is send you to a doctor who they choose for what they call an “independent” medical examination. They affectionately refer to this as an “IME.” Well, they’re not independent at all. They’re conducted by a doctor who gets paid a lot of money to see you for less than 30 minutes. He disagrees with your doctor about the nature of your injury and the treatment you’ve been receiving. (I have to admit that every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you’ll be seen by an ethical doctor who won’t try to distort the truth).
How do these doctors distort the truth? For one thing, they say that after examining you, there are no objective findings to support your complaints of pain. Once again, if they can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. When I get to question these doctors, I take the deposition of these doctors, they have to admit the following:
(1) They’ve been practicing since the days before we had MRIs.
(2) Before we had MRIs, they provided medical treatment to patients who had complaints of pain even though nothing showed up on an X-Ray or a CT Scan.
(3) For their own patients, they provided treatment based on their subjective complaints.
(4) They agree that now that we have MRIs, we can actually see some of these injuries that we couldn’t see before.
(5) Some day, when medicine catches up, we’ll have machines that will allow the doctor to see injuries that don’t even show up on MRIs.
So basically, their report that my client has subjective complaints is true, but the conclusion they reach from that is not true. It’s like the hubble telescope. When the scientists turned it on, they saw planets and stars they’ve never seen before. These astronomical bodies didn’t just happen to come into existence the moment the telescope was turned on. They have always been there - we just couldn’t see them.
]]>When a fetus is not receiving enough oxygen, it shows up in the form of an abnormal heart rate pattern. That's why the fetus's heart rate is monitored. Known as "fetal distress," it can sometimes be corrected by giving the mother oxygen, or by increasing the amount of fluids that are given intravenously to the mother, or by turning her on to her left side. But if these steps don't correct the problem, it's the doctor's responsibility to deliver the baby as fast as possible.
If the doctor delays in delivering the baby, irreversible damage can occur. The results are often life-long injuries and disabilities known as cerebral palsy.
This is what happened to a family who sued the hospital and the doctor for waiting too long to perform a C-section after a fetal monitor warned that their baby was being deprived of oxygen. Because of medical negligence, the baby suffered permanent brain damage. Their child now has cerebral palsy and needs constant suctioning to clear her airway.
After a trial, the jury decided that the brain damage should have been prevented, and awarded the family $23.4 million.
]]>A “pet trust” allows you to leave money for the benefit of your pet. You name a person to be the trustee. This person will be manage and spend the money you have set aside for your pet. You can include a set of instructions so the trustee will know how you want your pet cared for. For example, you could explain the kind of food that your pet eats, and how often your pet should be fed. You can also include instructions about medication, veterinary care, etc.
Besides naming the trustee, you can also name a “caretaker,” the person who your pet will live with. This is a good idea when the trustee knows how to manage money but doesn’t necessarily want to take care of your pet on a day-to-day basis.
The pet trust would also name a person or an organization to receive any of the funds that are left in the trust when your pet dies.
]]>First, let's start with the fact that every Delaware corporation or Delaware LLC must have a Delaware registered agent. To learn why, and to see what a registered agent does, take a look at my article entitled "Every Delaware Corporation Must Have A Registered Agent."
I'm the first to admit that it's not easy searching the internet for a registered agent in Delaware. Talk about a ton of information. But if you're looking for a registered agent who can offer legal services if and when you need them, then you've come to the right place. In my next artice, I'll talk about the services I provide. In the meantime, feel free to check out my website.
]]>Researchers at Duke University Medical Center recently announced the results of a large study about infections from surgery. According to the lead author of the study:
"We found that patients with surgical site infections due to MRSA were 35 times more likely to be readmitted and seven times more likely to die within 90 days compared to uninfected surgical patients."
"These patients also required more than three weeks of additional hospitalization and accrued more than $60,000 in additional charges."
MRSA infection is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, often called "staph." MRSA infections that occur in hospitals or other health care settings such as nursing homes and dialysis centers is commonly known as HA-MRSA, which stands for health care-associated MRSA.
MRSA usually starts as small red bumps that looks like pimples, boils or spider bites. These can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining. In some cases, the bacteria remain confined to the skin, but in other cases they can penetrate into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs.
]]>This topic was the subject of an interesting book review that appeared in the NY Times.
According to this review, in order to prevent a patient from getting an infection when a catheter is inserted in the vein, there are five things that doctors should:
(1) wash hands with soap
(2) clean the patient’s skin with antiseptic
(3) cover the patient’s entire body with sterile drapes
(4) wear a mask, hat, sterile gown and gloves
(5) put a sterile dressing over the insertion site after the line is in
Incredibly, in some hospitals, doctors skip one of these steps. The failure to follow any one of these steps is a departure from the standard of care, and constitutes medical malpractice.
Here are some common examples of negligence or medical malpractice resulting in birth injuries:
(1) Failing to perform a C-section when an emergency arises that calls for the immediate delivery of the baby
(2) Failing to recognize fetal distress
(3) Failing to administer Pitocin correctly (Pitocin is a drug that’s given to induce labor)
(4) Failing to properly use a forceps during delivery
When a doctor’s mistakes cause injury to your baby, you have the right to file a lawsuit and recover money. Money won’t take away the injury, but it sure can improve the quality of your child’s life.
In this article, I’d like to focus on the failure to observe signs of fetal distress and the failure to timely recognize the need for a C-section. Everyone should agree that the goal of obstetrical medicine is to deliver a baby without injury to either the mother or her baby. One of the methods used by the doctors is fetal monitoring. The tapes or strips that are printed out can be normal or abnormal, and they can show whether or not the baby is in fetal distress.
Fetal distress usually occurs when the baby is not getting enough oxygen. This causes the baby’s heart to beat abnormally, and these abnormal heartbeats are what show up on the fetal monitoring strips. If the doctor fails to take action quickly enough, the lack of oxygen can result in serious injury or death.
Fetal distress can occur for a number of reasons, but it has to be recognized quickly and dealt with. There are several ways to try to correct the baby’s breathing, but if that doesn’t work, the next option is to get the baby out.
When a doctor fails to diagnose fetal distress, or fails to take steps to correct it, or fails to deliver the baby before it suffers a horrible injury due to lack of oxygen, that’s medical malpractice.
]]>Here are just a few examples of tractor trailer crashes in the last 10 days:
A 33 year old mother was killed near Buffalo, NY when a tractor trailer smashed into her car. State Police are investigating whether the driver of the tractor trailer was using his laptop computer at the time of the crash.
A tractor trailer crashed into an overpass on the NY State Thruway.
In Bear, DE, a tractor trailer failed to slow down in time causing an accident involving 4 other vehicles.
A 29 year old woman in Nebraska was killed when her car flipped over several times after she tried to avoid getting hit by a tractor trailer
In Albany NY, the driver of a tractor trailer stopped in the middle lane of a highway causing a crash. He was driving while intoxicated.
In Nebraska, a father of 4 was killed when his car was crushed by a trailer that jackknifed on the highway
Near Daytona, FL. A semi pulled out from an emergency lane into the flow of traffic and was hit by a tractor trailer whose driver was killed in the crash.
In Paramus, NJ, the driver of a tractor trailer was killed in a crash involving another truck and an SUV.
This is the first in a series of articles relating to fighting for your rights against a trucking company.
On 12/16/09, actress Anne Hathaway was in a minor traffic accident in Los Angeles. Newspaper accounts of the accident say that she was not injured. It would be interesting to talk to her a week after the accident to see how she’s doing. Why? because it's not unusual to be in a car accident and think you’re okay. You tell the cops that you aren’t injured, and you refuse medical treatment. That night, the next day, or even a few days later, you begin to feel pain or soreness. You think to yourself that it’s normal to feel some pain - after all, you were just in an accident. You go about your normal routine. If you’re lucky, the pain goes away completely. In some cases, however, the pain lingers. Once again, you assume that it’s only a minor injury and that you’ll return to normal in the near future.
You continue to hurt, you complain about the pain to your spouse, and you still don’t see a doctor. After a few months, you finally realize that this isn’t going away, and you reluctantly call your doctor’s office to schedule an appointment. After the medical exam, the doctor tells you that you have cervical (neck) and lumbar (back) strain and sprain, and that you need physical therapy and drugs.
At some point you think about making a claim for your injuries, and you contact the other driver’s insurance company. The claims representative takes your statement over the phone, gets your medical records, and tells you that you waited such a long time to see your doctor that it appears the pain you’re complaining about is not related to the accident.
So what should you have done? As soon as you start to feel symptoms of pain or soreness, get checked out by your doctor. There’s no harm in playing it safe. Your own car insurance company will pay for the visit. If it turns out that your doctor says “take 2 aspirins and call me in the morning,” consider yourself very fortunate that you weren’t injured and you don’t have a personal injury claim. On the other hand, if your doctor prescribes pain killers and muscle relaxants, or prescribes physical therapy, you’ve helped your personal injury claim because you got medical attention early on and your medical records will relate the symptoms to the accident.
It’s great to be stoic and put off seeing a doctor following an accident. Unfortunately, this way of dealing with things could come back to haunt you later on when the insurance company accuses you of being dishonest.
]]>The problem has been getting worse, not better. In fact, an article published in the New York Times in December of 2008 called hospital acquired bedsores an epidemic. This article, entitled “Hospitals Face a New Epidemic: Bedsores,” reported that the number of hospital patients with bedsores has risen dramatically over a 14-year period, leading to longer, more expensive hospital stays.
What causes pressure sores? They occur when the blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than two to three hours. When the blood supply is cut off, the skin dies. A bedsore starts out as a red, painful area, and eventually turns purple. If it’s not treated, a bedsore can lead to serious infection and other life-threatening complications, such as blood poisoning.
So what causes the blood supply to the skin to get cut off? It’s from staying in one position for too long. There are areas in your body where the bone is close to your skin, such as your ankles, back, buttocks, elbows, heels and hips. If you’re lying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair for a long time, or if for some other reason you’re unable to change your position, this puts pressure on the skin, and the blood supply is cut off.
Bedsores can be prevented by inspecting the skin for areas of redness. Other ways of preventing bed sores include: (1) changing position, (2) using pillows and other soft padding in wheelchairs and beds to reduce pressure and (3) keeping the skin clean and dry.
Severe bedsores are absolutely preventable, and a hospital or nursing home that allows a patient to develop bedsores should be held accountable.
]]>“Too many patients get sick in the very places that are supposed to heal them. The facts are frightening: As many as one in 10 patients hospitalized in the U.S. will come down with an infection - often due to the very care that is supposed to be restoring health. These infections afflict nearly two million patients a year, cause close to 100,000 deaths and cost up to $6.5 billion.”
Actually, in the U.S., more people die each year from MRSA than from AIDS.
MRSA symptoms can range from mild infections on the skin which cause pimples or boils, to more serious skin infections and infections of surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract. It's tougher to treat than most strains of staph because it's resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
If you or a family member came down with a MRSA infection as a result of a hospital stay, you should contact a Delaware attorney to find out whether you are entitled to receive money damages to pay for such things as medical bills, nursing care, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
]]>Her death was caused a pulmonary embolism that occurred when deep venous thromboids that had formed at the site of the surgery traveled to her lung. The jury found that the surgeon ignored several risk factors that should have indicated that blood clotting could be a problem: the patient was somewhat obese and was taking birth control pills; she also had a personal history of asthma and hypertension and a family history of heart disease and stroke.
Had the surgeon considered these risk factors, he could have taken precautions after the surgery that should have prevented the blood clots from forming.
Interestingly, the family's lawyer had demanded $2 million to settle the case, but the insurnace company refused to settle.
Blood clots in the large veins (deep venous thrombosis) is common after othopedic surgery. When a patient is considered at risk for blood clots, all the surgeon has to do is put the patient on blood thinning medication.
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