News

Virginia Super Lawyers recognize Thomas G. Smith and Michael J. Shevlin
Virginia Supreme Court Denies Charitable Immunity For Doctors
In a decision announced last week, the Virginia Supreme Court denied the application of the charitable immunity doctrine to doctors who are sued for medical malpractice. This case was University of Virginia Health Services Foundation v. Morris, et al.
World Health Organization Issues a Checklist to Make Operations Safer
Brain injuries cause half of seniors' fall deaths
This study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined the role brain injuries play in fatal elderly falls. CDC researchers found that more than 50% of the deaths were attributed to brain injuries. The other deaths were due to a variety of causes including heart failure, strokes, infections and existing chronic conditions worsened by a broken hip or other injuries sustained in a fall. CDC research also showed that the U.S. death rate from falling has risen about 55% for the elderly since the 1990s.
Experts Worry About Rise in C-Section Births
FDA Believes That Heparin Contamination Was Likely Intentional
Tom Smith Named Washington D.C. Metro "Super Lawyer"
FDA Cautions Use of the Blood Thinning Drug Heparin
Two Northern Virginia Obstetricians Formally Reprimanded
Mass General Hospital study finds gaps between doctors' standards and actions
Rhode Island Hospital Makes Third Brain Injury Mistake This Year
Illinois Court Declares State Cap On Medical Malpractice Damages Unconstitutional
Government Study's Findings About The Prevalence Of Hospital-Based Infections Called "Astonishing"
Bristol Myers Strengthens Warning on Ultrasound Drug Definity
Definity is a drug used to enhance heart images from ultrasound scans. Bristol Myers will add a black box warning on the package insert (which constitutes the most serious FDA safety warning) about the risk "serious cardiopulmonary reactions.'
Research Breakthrough Suggests New Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
New treatments prevent brain injury after strokes in rats
New Discovery Shows Adult Human Brain Has Ability To Change Its Functioning - Findings May Lead To New Treatments For Brain Injured Patients
New Clinical Study Casts Doubt About The Safety of Diabetes Drugs
Two-Year Study Questions The Safety Of Drug-Coated Stents For Heart Attack Patients
Pattern of Greed 2007: How Insurance Companies Put Profits Over Policyholders
Dangers of Drug Patches Overlooked
This article from the LA Times discusses the dangers associated with drug patches and the warnings issued by the FDA concerning the use of drug patches.
Federal Court Strikes Down Dangerous Trucking Law

Virginia Super Lawyers recognize Thomas G. Smith and Michael J. Shevlin

Thomas G. Smith and Michael J. Shevlin have been named by Virginia Super Lawyers magazine as two of the top attorneys in Virignia for 2008 in two areas of law -- Medical Malpractice and General Personal Injury. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers.

The selections for Super Lawyers are made by Law & Politics, a division of Key Professional Media, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn. Each year, Law & Politics undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by Law & Politics’ attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

Law & Politics publishes Super Lawyers magazines across the country. In addition to the magazines, Law & Politics publishes newspaper inserts and magazine special sections devoted to Super Lawyers. In 2008, Super Lawyers will reach more than 13 million readers.

Super Lawyers was first published in Minnesota in 1991. William White, attorney and founding publisher, remains the publisher today. Law & Politics is owned by attorney Vance Opperman, the former president of West Publishing.

Super Lawyers can be found online at superlawyers.com, where lawyers can be searched by practice area and location.

Virginia Supreme Court Denies Charitable Immunity For Doctors

World Health Organization Issues a Checklist to Make Operations Safer

The New York Times reports that the World Health Organization has issued guidelines aimed at making operations safer. The guidelines are a list of simple safety checks that the health organization said could halve the rate of surgical complications. The guidelines are a list of simple safety checks that the health organization said could halve the rate of surgical complications. The guidelines seek to improve anesthetic safety practices, avoid infections and improve communication among members of surgical teams.

Brain injuries cause half of seniors' fall deaths

Experts Worry About Rise in C-Section Births

This story from the U.S. News and World Report notes that nearly 1 in 3 pregnant women had a C-section in 2006, compared with about 1 in 5 a decade earlier. Physicians discuss the reasons for the rise in C-sections, and the pros and cons of having a c-section.

FDA Believes That Heparin Contamination Was Likely Intentional

The New York Times reports that the Food & Drug Administation (FDA) now believes that contaminates found in Heparin (a popular blood thinning medication) were added deliberately. Contaminated Heparin led to the 81 deaths and illnesses to hundreds earlier this year. The contamination is believed to have occurred at Chinese manufacturing plants, and resulted in part from the failure of the FDA to inspect that plant.

Tom Smith Named Washington D.C. Metro "Super Lawyer"

Tom Smith again has been named a Super Lawyer in the field of Plaintiff's Personal Injury:Medical Malpractice in Metro DC for 2008. He has previously received this honor in 2007 in both Metro DC and Virginia. Other attorneys in Virginia nominate and vote for honorees, and only 5% of the attorneys in Virginia receive this designation.

FDA Cautions Use of the Blood Thinning Drug Heparin

The New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against the use of Herapin, a popular blood-thinning drug. Concern has arisen after hundreds of patients experienced adverse reactions to the medication, including a number of deaths.

Two Northern Virginia Obstetricians Formally Reprimanded

This month the Virginia State Board of Medicine reprimaned two Northern Virginia obstetricians for their handling of births that resulted in devastating, lifelong injuries to infants during delivery. The reprimands become part of a doctor's permanent record and appear on a physician's public profile at www.vahealthprovider.com/search.asp The names of the two obstetricians are Dr. Evelyn Anna Ruelaz of Fairfax County and Dr. Regina Burton of Woodbridge. A recent news article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch announced the Board's findings.

Mass General Hospital study finds gaps between doctors' standards and actions

Rhode Island Hospital Makes Third Brain Injury Mistake This Year

Illinois Court Declares State Cap On Medical Malpractice Damages Unconstitutional

Government Study's Findings About The Prevalence Of Hospital-Based Infections Called "Astonishing"

Bristol Myers Strengthens Warning on Ultrasound Drug Definity

Research Breakthrough Suggests New Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries

A study out of The Medical University of South Carolina found that the drug atorvastatin, commonly known as Lipitor, helped animal models with hind-limb paralysis show significant functional recovery and less secondary tissue damage. The study is viewed as extremely valuable in efforts to preserve human neurological function and walking following spinal cord injuries. The study was published in the April 2007 issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry (101, 182-200).

New treatments prevent brain injury after strokes in rats

Although these studies did not involve human trials, they are believed to have important potential implications for treatment of ischemic brain injury among humans.

New Discovery Shows Adult Human Brain Has Ability To Change Its Functioning - Findings May Lead To New Treatments For Brain Injured Patients

New Clinical Study Casts Doubt About The Safety of Diabetes Drugs

This article published in the New York Times discusses the findings of two recent clinical studies that studied the safety of two different diabetes drugs. Both studies were published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One study examined the risks associated with the drug Avandia. It found that the drug doubled the risks of heart failure and raised the risks of heart attack by 42 percent. These findings mirrored previous findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine concerning Avandia.

A second study found that Actos, a similar drug to Avandia, actually lowered the risks of heart attacks, strokes and death but, like Avandia, also raised risks of heart failure.

Two-Year Study Questions The Safety Of Drug-Coated Stents For Heart Attack Patients

This article, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, reported on a two-year study analyzing 2,300 patients in 14 countries. According to the study, patients given drug-coated stents after an acute heart attack are nearly five times as likely to die six months to two years later as compared to those with bare metal stents. Doctors at the European Society of Cardiology meeting said the finding showed the need to be very selective about giving drug stents to the right patients. At the same time, experts emphasized that there were differences among the patients in the study that could have affected the outcome, and that these findings aren't the final word on the safety of drug-coated stents for heart-attack patients.

Pattern of Greed 2007: How Insurance Companies Put Profits Over Policyholders

This article published by the American Association for Justice examines the record profits earned by property casualty companies this decade and questions the track record of these companies in handling policyholder claims following some of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history. Its findings are likely to shock you.

Dangers of Drug Patches Overlooked

Federal Court Strikes Down Dangerous Trucking Law

A federal appeals court strikes down for the second time a Bush administration regulation that increased the number of hours that truck drivers are permitted to drive without rest.

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