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Government Study's Findings About The Prevalence Of Hospital-Based Infections Called "Astonishing"
Posted on 8/27/2009
Study Finds Radiation Risk for Patients
Posted on 8/27/2009
FDA Panel Recommends Lowering Daily Dose of Acetaminophen
Posted on 7/6/2009
Studies Call Into Question Value Of Prostate Screening Test
Posted on 7/6/2009
Study Shows Link Between Death and ADHD Drugs
Posted on 6/17/2009
New Research Challenges Wisdom of Routine Removal of Ovaries
Posted on 4/21/2009
"Best Lawyers in America" recognizes all three Shevlin Smith attorneys
Posted on 12/4/2008
Federal Court Strikes Down Dangerous Trucking Law
Posted on 12/4/2008
Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use and Minimum Drinking Age Laws
Posted on 12/4/2008
World Health Organization Issues a Checklist to Make Operations Safer
Posted on 12/4/2008

Brain Injury

Clinical Policy: Neuroimaging and Decisionmaking in Adult Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Acute Setting From

News

Government Study's Findings About The Prevalence Of Hospital-Based Infections Called "Astonishing"
Study Finds Radiation Risk for Patients
FDA Panel Recommends Lowering Daily Dose of Acetaminophen
Studies Call Into Question Value Of Prostate Screening Test
Study Shows Link Between Death and ADHD Drugs
New Research Challenges Wisdom of Routine Removal of Ovaries
"Best Lawyers in America" recognizes all three Shevlin Smith attorneys
Federal Court Strikes Down Dangerous Trucking Law
Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use and Minimum Drinking Age Laws
World Health Organization Issues a Checklist to Make Operations Safer
FDA Believes That Heparin Contamination Was Likely Intentional
Safety Alert Issued for Heparin
FDA Identifies Potential Problem Drugs
Last year Congress ordered the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to post quarterly listings of medications under investigation. The FDA has released its first quarter listing, identifying the following drugs as under investigation:

-R-Gene 10, a growth hormone, pediatric overdose due to labeling/packaging confusion.
—Suprane, an anesthetic, cardiac arrest.
—Cymbalta, for depression and other conditions, urinary retention.
—Intelence, an HIV medication, bleeding into joints.
—Carac and Kuric, creams for skin conditions and fungal infections, name confusion.
—Heparin, a blood-thinner, serious allergic reactions.
—Extraneal, used in kidney dialysis, low blood sugars.
—Humilin R, for diabetes, dosing confusion.
—Stromectol and Warfarin, an anti-parasite drug and a blood thinner, drug interaction.
—Tykerb, for advanced breast cancer, liver damage.
—Revlimid, for multiple myeloma, severe skin blistering and bleeding.
—Tysabri, for multiple sclerosis, skin melanomas.
—Nitrostat, for angina, overdose due to labeling confusion.
—Sandostatin LAR, for abnormal bone growth, bowel obstruction.
—Oxycontin, a pain killer, drug misuse, abuse and overdose.
—Definity, used in cardiac imaging, cardiopulmonary reactions.
—Dilantin injection, for epileptic seizures, serious skin reaction.
—Seroquel, for bipolar disorder, overdose due to sample pack labeling confusion.
—Tyzeka, for chronic hepatitis B, nerve damage.
—Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blockers, for juvenile arthritis, cancers in children and young adults.
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.
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.
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
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.

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

Study Finds Radiation Risk for Patients

According to a study pubished in the New England Journal of Medicine, over 4 million Americans are exposed to high doses of radiation from medical imaging studies. Nearly one-half million Americans are exposed at radiation doses that exceed those allowed for nuclear power plant workers. Increased exposure to radiation from medical imagin studies is believed to increase the risk of developing cancer.

FDA Panel Recommends Lowering Daily Dose of Acetaminophen

An FDA panel of 37 experts studying the use of medications containing acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is a painkiller medication, most commonly found in drugs such as Tylenol, Vicodin and Percocet. Acetaminophen is a leading cause of liver failure. The panel of experts recommended that the maximum recommended single dose of acetaminophen be reduced to 650 milligrams per day, and that the drugs Vicodin and Percocet be eliminated. While the FDA is not required to adopt the recommendations made by the panel of experts, it usually does. The FDA has issued an FAQ for consumers.

Studies Call Into Question Value Of Prostate Screening Test

The PSA blood test is a screening test that measures a protein produced by cells in the prostate gland. The test is used to screen patients for the possible presence of cancer in the prostate. The general thought is that the higher a PSA score, then the more likely that cancer is present. Two recent studies have called into question whether the PSA test actually saves lives. These studies do not contest the reliability of the PSA test itiself. Rather, the studies call into question whether early detection of prostate cancer through PSA testing actually saves lives. The studies are continuing, so additional data could potentially lead to new results.

Shevlin Smith is a boutique law firm that specializes in the representation of victims of medical malpractice. We handle cases in Washington, D.C. and all of Virginia. We have extensive experience handling cancer cases. Please contact us if you beleve that you or a loved may have been a victim of medical malpractice.

Study Shows Link Between Death and ADHD Drugs

A new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows a link between the use of ADHD drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall and sudden death in children and adolescents. The study was funded by the Food & Drug Admininstration and the National Institute of Mental Health. The FDA has issued a statement indicated that the benfits of ADHD drug use still outweigh the risks, but has urged parents to discuss the safety issues with their children's doctors.

New Research Challenges Wisdom of Routine Removal of Ovaries

New research published in the May, 2009 journal Obstetrics & Gynecology challenges the wisdom of removing ovaries during a hysterectomy. This procedure is known as a bilateral oophorectomy. Historically, the performance of a bilateral oophorectomy during a hysterectomy was justified on the grounds that it would reduce a woman's risk of ovarian cancer. While research has confirmed that reduction in risk, new research has shown that the performance of a bilateral oophorectomy increases a woman's risk for heart disease, stroke and death, and this increased risk might be higher than the reduction of the risk for ovarian cancer.

"Best Lawyers in America" recognizes all three Shevlin Smith attorneys

Since 1983, Best Lawyers has compiled lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The newest edition, Best Lawyers in America (2008), is based on more than two million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. Because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be included, a listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded within the legal profession as a signal honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers. For 25 years, Best Lawyers lists have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.

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.

Lives Saved in 2007 by Restraint Use and Minimum Drinking Age Laws

This month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminsitration (NHTSA) reported its statistics on the number of lives saved in 2007 by seatbelt use and by minimum drinking age laws. Nationally, over 15,000 lives were saved by seatbelt use in 2007, and over 800 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws. In Virginia, over 300 lives were saved by seatbelt use alone. To see all of the statisitical data concerning seatbelt use and minimum drinking age laws, click here.

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.

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.

Safety Alert Issued for Heparin

This past week the Joint Commission has issued a safety alert concerning the use of blood thinners, including Heparin. The alert comes in the aftermath of almost 60,000 errors, 1,700 injuries, and 28 deaths involving blood thinners. The safety alert mandates that hospitals use stricter measures when administering blood thinners. These measures include bar-coding technology for medicines or computerized drug orders, and the storage of adult-strength heparin away from children's units.

FDA Identifies Potential Problem Drugs

Last year, Congress ordered the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to post quarterly listings of medications under investigation. The FDA released its first quarterly listing this month, identifying the following drugs as under investigation:

1.    R-Gene 10, a growth hormone, pediatric overdose due to labeling/packaging confusion.
2.    Suprane, an anesthetic, cardiac arrest.
3.    Cymbalta, for depression and other conditions, urinary retention.
4.    Intelence, an HIV medication, bleeding into joints.
5.    Carac and Kuric, creams for skin conditions and fungal infections, name confusion.
6.    Heparin, a blood-thinner, serious allergic reactions.
7.    Extraneal, used in kidney dialysis, low blood sugars.
8.    Humilin R, for diabetes, dosing confusion.
9.    Stromectol and Warfarin, an anti-parasite drug and a blood thinner, drug interaction.
10. Tykerb, for advanced breast cancer, liver damage.
11. Revlimid, for multiple myeloma, severe skin blistering and bleeding.
12. Tysabri, for multiple sclerosis, skin melanomas.
13. Nitrostat, for angina, overdose due to labeling confusion.
14. Sandostatin LAR, for abnormal bone growth, bowel obstruction.
15. Oxycontin, a pain killer, drug misuse, abuse and overdose.
16. Definity, used in cardiac imaging, cardiopulmonary reactions.
17. Dilantin injection, for epileptic seizures, serious skin reaction.
18. Seroquel, for bipolar disorder, overdose due to sample pack labeling confusion.
19. Tyzeka, for chronic hepatitis B, nerve damage.
20. Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blockers, for juvenile arthritis, cancers in children and young adults.

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

Brain injuries cause half of seniors' fall deaths

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

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

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