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Recent Blog Posts
Big Rig Accidents in Virginia: What You Should Know
If you have been on the road in Virginia, you have seen the plethora of semi-trucks that utilize the Virginia highways. Some call them 18-wheelers; others call them big-rigs. Whatever you call them, sharing the road with these large trucks is an inevitable part of driving in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, accidents with semi-trucks also occur frequently.
What To Do After a Truck Accident
If you are involved in an accident with a semi-truck in Virginia, you should know the following tips:
- First and foremost, seek medical attention when necessary. You may think everything is fine, but serious internal injuries can show up later.
- If you are able, notify the police.
- Exchange information with any drivers involved. Make sure you have their name, driver's license number, and insurance information.
- Make note of the road, lighting, and weather conditions at the time of the accident.
- Take notes from any witnesses that are able to stop and give information about what they saw.
New Sleeping Pill Study Shows Health Downsides
It is estimated that between 50 and 70 million Americans struggle with insomnia or other sleep disorders. So it should come as no surprise that millions are also prescribed sleep aids that are supposed to help. Unfortunately, recent research shows that the side effects of sleep aids may be more detrimental than previously thought.
A previous study linked sleeping pills to bizarre sleep behavior like unconscious driving of vehicles, sleepwalking, sleep eating, amnesia, and hallucinations. A new study shows that adults taking sleeping pills are nearly four times more likely to die early compared to those who are not prescribed sleeping pills. More shocking is that this seems to hold true even for those taking them in small numbers. Additionally, those taking sleeping pills may also be more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.
The study looked at those taking Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta, and Sonata. They found that even those who took fewer than 18 pills a year were at a greater risk of death. These findings are in addition to the previously known side effects of the medications including:
Pediatric Strokes In Virginia: Misdiagnosed And Dangerous
Injuries that require long-term medical treatment or that have a permanent impact are considered catastrophic. While that definition sounds frightening by itself, what if that injury occurs to your child? As a parent you would do anything for your child, so you feel helpless and heartbroken. But what happens when you realize that your child's catastrophic injury could have been prevented? Unfortunately, many parents are experiencing this very realization as there's a rising trend in the misdiagnosis of pediatric strokes.
Effects of a Misdiagnosed Pediatric Stroke
When a stroke goes undiagnosed in a child, the repercussions are tragic. One 15-year-old went to the emergency room with complaints of vomiting and a terrible headache. The doctors treated him for a migraine but after his mom pushed for further diagnostic tests, they did a brain scan and found that the teen had suffered a pediatric stroke.
Once the teen was finally diagnosed, doctors had to remove part of his skull to allow for swelling. A second stroke resulted in the boy losing his ability to speak or move his limbs. He has had to endure hours of rigorous and costly rehabilitation.
Virginia Red Light Cameras Decrease Accidents, Study Shows
When a driver runs a red light, the most common type of accident that occurs is known as a t-bone or a side-impact accident. Those involved in side-impact accidents are more vulnerable to injuries than are those who are in collisions to the front or rear of the vehicle. This is because the front and back ends of vehicles are structurally stronger than are the sides. One result is that people involved in t-bone accidents often sustain serious injuries, long-term disability, paralysis, or even death. All over the United States, cities are attempting to decrease their numbers of serious side-impact accidents by installing red light cameras. When a person runs a red light they are sent a ticket in the mail. It is hoped that the signage stating that there are red light cameras installed acts as a deterrent to drivers, reminding them to stop.
A recent study, conducted in Arlington, Virginia, found that the cameras and accompanying signage were highly successful. The cameras were installed at four busy intersections and one year later, the number of red light violations had declined. According to the report, instances of drivers blowing through a light 1.5 seconds after it had turned red-when an accident is most likely to result-dropped 86 percent since the cameras were installed. Violations within one second of the light turning red dropped by 48 percent, while violations within a half-second decreased by 39 percent. Those intersections also saw a decrease in catastrophic side-impact accidents.
Recent Breakthroughs For Spinal Cord Injury Patients In Virginia
If you have talked with your doctor or searched for the information online, you already know that spinal cord injuries are considered permanent. Each article states, "there are no known treatments at this time for spinal cord injuries." However, there are a number of companies and individuals working to change that.
- Summit 2012, an annual healthcare meeting, was devoted solely to paralysis research. Doctors from all over the world convened to discuss the most recent experimental procedures, medications, and therapies related to spinal cord injuries.
- One of the procedures recently discussed was spinal cooling. When NFL football player Kevin Everett was injured on the field, an orthopedic surgeon was with him and tried the experimental procedure. The theory behind it is cooling the inside of the body up to six degrees below normal to prevent swelling. It has seen great results, but the success hinges on the process beginning within moments of injury.
- In July 2012, Invivo Technologies announced their approval from the FDA to begin experimental tissue regeneration surgery for spinal cord injury victims. In their laboratory research, they were able to restore mobility to almost every animal that was part of their study.
Study Shows Daily Aspirin Use May Raise Risk Of Blindness
Have you been told by a doctor that you need to take aspirin to help your heart? Almost a third of all middle-aged adults in the United States take aspirin on a regular basis. Doctors recommend a low-dose spirin regimens for those that have had heart attacks, strokes, or have a risk for either one. A new study shows that the aspirin you might be taking to benefit your health in one area could be harmful in another.
A 15-year study recently found that regular aspirin use (they classified "regular" as once a week) was strongly linked to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause blindness, in older adults. The longer a person takes aspirin, the higher the risk was for developing neovascular AMD. Many adults take aspirin as part of their daily regimen, so their regular use would be far beyond the "once a week" that the study examined.
Doctors participating in the study said that aspirin is often not viewed as a drug by those taking it, so many patients are not aware of all the possible side effects. Many patients are even on a low dose labeled as children's aspirin so the risk is assumed to be minimal by those taking it. Some may be aware that aspirin use can lead to internal bleeding or ulcers, but this new study shows that other effects still being discovered.
Innovative—But Costly—New Spinal Cord Injury Treatments
Ever since your accident last year, when you fractured your spine, you've been incessantly worrying about money. You had to spend two long months at Inova getting prodded, scanned, and poked-and your reward was a mountain of bills. You're now adding to the mountain by going to physical therapy five times a week, learning to walk again. You've already mortgaged your house, but the bill pile doesn't seem to be getting smaller, and you're afraid you're about to fall off.
Will it ever get easier? Or is your injury going to send you to bankruptcy?
Price Tags and Research for New Spinal Cord Injury Treatments
Physical therapy, medication, surgery, and mobility equipment are all current treatment options that add to the expense of a spinal cord injury (SCI). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average treatment costs for victims of SCIs can be substantial. The first year alone could cost anywhere from $350,000 to $1.2 million, and each subsequent year could cost an additional $100,000 to $300,000 in treatment and care. Depending on your age at the time of the accident, an SCI could wind up costing you anywhere from $2 million to $10 million over the course of your life.
Identifying Your Child’s Type of Cerebral Palsy
Your child's healthy development is the most important thing when you're a parent.
From the moment she is born, you monitor her every movement and document her accomplishments. When she discovered her hands for the first time, you called everyone you knew. When she splashes in the tub, all your friends inevitably see the naked baby pictures, and when she lunges to pet Camille the cow at Oxon Hill Farm, it's an instant Facebook cover photo.
When she begins to gain control of her body and establish her own way of expression, every movement is precious. However, for some parents, their baby's movements, or lack thereof, aren't something to celebrate but rather to be feared, as they could be indicative of cerebral palsy.
According to several nationwide studies, an average of 10,000 babies a year are born with a brain injury that leads to cerebral palsy, and three children out of every thousand suffer from at least one form of the disorder. That means that if your child doesn't have the disorder, more than likely he will know at least one child in his graduating class who has either spastic, ataxic, athetoid, or mixed CP.
Recent DC Medical Mistakes Cause One Doctor To Reflect
A veteran physician of 25 years, and a health industry executive, recently journeyed through a health issue with his father. His observations with one Washington DC practice opened his eyes to the problems prevalent in the medical industry today.
The doctor's father was diagnosed with a cataract and needed to have it removed. From the diagnosis to the removal, the doctor observed at least 10 mistakes.
It started with the diagnostic machine in the eye doctor's office. It was broken, so the patient had to drive to another office, 40 miles away. The opthamologist at that location did not know why the patient was there and ended up focusing on a different issue.
On the day of the surgery, the doctor's father ate breakfast because no one had told him that he couldn't eat prior to being anesthetized. They had to cancel his surgery and the next available date was three weeks away. In the meantime, he was asked to fill a prescription for eye drops. The instructions on the prescription were for the wrong eye.
Dangerous Rise In Birth Injuries Blamed On Modern Medicine
When you were having a baby, were you told you needed to be induced, or have your labor aided by drugs? With modern medicine, having a baby has seemingly become easier and more advanced.While survival rates have increased in decades past, so have the rate of birth injuries and the rate of Pitocin use during labor.
Pitocin is a drug used all over the U.S., including Virginia and DC hospitals. It is most often given through an IV infusion. While it was created in 1953 (and approved for use in 1955), it was not widely used for over 30 years. Now, it is said that nearly 81 percent of women in U.S. hospitals receive Pitocin to induce or augment their labors. It was also noted that only 3 percent of those women actually needed it.
Medical professionals claim that it is just synthetic oxytocin, a hormone a woman's body produces on her own to signal contractions. Unfortunately a mother's body responds differently to the synthetic form. Here are a few side effects that have been reported in mothers:
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From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
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