Blog: Medical Malpractice
- Common Erb’s Palsy Exercises for Infants and Children
Mar 24, 2016
Erb’s palsy is a form of brachial plexus palsy that primarily affects the upper nerves in the shoulder and arm. This birth injury occurs when there is difficulty in delivering a baby’s shoulder and his or her brachial plexus nerves are ruptured or torn. If you believe your child was wrongfully injured during delivery speak to one our a Philadelphia birth injury lawyer now and discuss your case. Erb’s palsy symptoms in the affected arm range...Read More - Surgical and Non-Surgical Erb’s Palsy Treatment
Mar 15, 2016
Most newborns who sustained brachial plexus injuries during birth will recover on their own. The process is typically slow, as the nerves could take months or years to totally recover. As an injured infant grows, a physician will monitor the recovery and determine whether further treatment is necessary. Below are a few treatment options a physician may recommend if a baby seems to be suffering from permanent brachial plexus nerve damage. Non-surgical Treatment: Range-of-Motion Exercises at Home Daily...Read More - The Ins and Outs of Obtaining Your Medical Records
Mar 10, 2016
The Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that gives patients the right to receive, inspect and review a copy of their medical information held by health plans and health care providers. Below are answers to a few questions about a patient’s right to see his or her medical records. What information is protected? The Privacy Rule protects information that doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in...Read More - Surgical Fires: A Threat to Patient Safety in the Operating Room
Mar 9, 2016
Surgical fires, though rare, can kill or severely burn patients undergoing a medical procedure. These preventable fires are the result of the negligence of health care providers in various settings ranging from hospitals to urgent care centers to doctor’s offices. The patient safety organization Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) has estimated that 200 to 240 surgical fires occur each year in the United States, while the FDA estimates as many as 650. A fire can ignite...Read More - 4 Types of Brachial Plexus Injuries During Birth
Mar 7, 2016
A newborn can suffer nerve damage when his or her shoulder gets stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone during birth. If the delivering physician fails to recognize and respond to this condition, called shoulder dystocia, the infant can sustain nerve injuries ranging from mild to permanent. Call a birth injury attorney at Anapol Weiss if you believe your child suffered during delivery as a result of neglect from doctors and medical staff. The brachial plexus nerves...Read More - Preventing Surgical Instruments from Being Forgotten Inside Patients
Mar 4, 2016
A surgical object mistakenly left inside a patient is a medical emergency that can lead to death or permanent health problems. Shockingly, surgical instruments are left inside patients thousands of times every year in the United States. Surgical sponges account for nearly 70 percent of items left inside patients. Other items commonly found on post-op X-rays include: retractors, sharp objects such as needles, blades and scalpels, towels and other textiles, clamps, guide wires, scissors and more...Read More - 6 Steps to Take After Being Informed of an Infection Control Breach
Mar 4, 2016
More than 200 patients were recently notified that they may have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis B or C at Shore Medical Center in New Jersey. Sadly, infection control breaches continue to happen in hospitals across the country, and patients are left with unexpected health problems they never expected to happen. Below are six steps patients should take if they receive a letter from any hospital about possible infection exposure. 1. Get tested right away. Set up...Read More - Women and Heart Disease: Timely Diagnosis is Critical
Mar 1, 2016
Some study findings about the prevalence and diagnosis of heart conditions in women may underscore the failure of physicians to appreciate and recognize that women’s complaints are heart-related. Cardiovascular disease, typically manifesting as a myocardial infarction (blockage of one or more of the coronary vessels that supply blood to the heart, commonly referred to as a heart attack) is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing more deaths more than all cancers combined...Read More - Bacterial Meningitis Misdiagnosis: What It Means for Patients
Feb 25, 2016
Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency that requires timely diagnosis and proper medical treatment to prevent death or permanent injury. Diagnosing bacterial meningitis often involves testing the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Imaging tests such as a CT-scan may help diagnose the disease by showing inflammation in the head, and an x-ray of the chest or sinuses may indicate the presence of an infection. Bacterial meningitis can be...Read More - Five Things Patients Can Do to Help Prevent a Medication Error
Feb 16, 2016
Since 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received more than 95,000 reports of medication errors, which include any preventable event that may lead to inappropriate medication use or harm to a patient. There are a variety of reasons medication errors occur, including: Miscommunication of drug orders Poor handwriting on prescriptions Confusion of similarly named drugs Poor packaging design Confusion of dosing units How can patients avoid falling victim to a dangerous medication error? The FDA offers a few simple...Read More