While riding on his Harley, Richard Trujillo was in an accident driving up Evergreen Parkway in Evergreen, Colorado seven years ago. It forever changed his and his family’s life when it was discovered he had suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has no memory of the accident or his past life in the U.S. Navy or his years at the Post Office. He did not recognize his wife Christine or other family members. He operates at the emotional capacity of a 13-year-old and at times expresses threatening and erratic behavior. Today, he is involved in a program at the Seniors’ Resource Center in Wheat Ridge. The center is a network of locations and programs funded through grants, contracts and revenue. Services offered include in-home care, transportation, job training, adult-day and respite care. Christine leaves him at the program during the day. The group occasionally takes day trips to museums and other attractions. The Trujillo family knows the future will be hard, but is thankful for the Seniors’ Resource Center. As awareness peaks concerning traumatic brain injuries the resources available to victims and their families will hopefully continue to grow, improve and stimulate many other such centers across the nation.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It appears city water in Alamosa, Colorado may be contaminated with Salmonella. So far there have been 47 confirmed and 76 suspected cases in the Southern Colorado town. Health officials are investigating whether the outbreak was caused by tainted tap water. The water has tested positive for the bacteria, but final tests results for confirmation have yet to be revealed. It is not known at this time what has caused the Salmonella contamination. Health officials have warned residents to boil tap water for 15 seconds to kill the bacteria, or use bottled water for brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, cooking, drinking and making baby formula. They said people can use tap water to bathe, as long as they are careful not to ingest it. Currently, city and county officials have set up four centers where residents can get free bottled water or access to safe water, but they are limited to one gallon of free water per day per person. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach pain. Victims typically recover, but the elderly, infants and people with impaired immune systems may require treatment. Untreated, salmonella can cause death in vulnerable victims. Authorities said the first salmonella victim began showing symptoms around March 8.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Department of Defense has awarded a group of Texas medical institutions known as Mission Connect a $33 million grant to further traumatic brain injury research. The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston will lead the five-year research project. Rice University, the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch will also be involved. Each institution will conduct its own research project. The grant will offer them all a chance to collaborate with each other and share ideas. The goal is to standardize traumatic brain injury models, improve diagnosis techniques and develop new strategies for soldiers returning after service abroad. “The era of one scientist doing something by himself is over,” said Dr. Alex Valadka, a neurosurgeon for the UT Health Science Center. “This consortium involves everyone from rehab doctors, psychologists, radiologists to researchers in different areas ranging from nanotechnology to stem cell research.”

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The doctor at the center of the biggest medical malpractice scandal in the nation is Dr. Dipak K. Desai. Dr. Desai owned and operated the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada where the Hepatitis and HIV scare occurred. Officials from the Southern Nevada Health District said that Desai told his office staff to reuse syringes and medical vials in his clinics over the last four years, exposing more than 40,000 people to Hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV. The Health District has confirmed six cases of hepatitis so far. Dr. Desai has voluntarily agreed to stop practicing medicine at the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners request.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rhonda Sloan, of Oakley, California, has had very few health problems in her life until recently. One Sunday she started to experience a shortness of breath and a pain in her chest. By Friday her doctor sent her in for a CT scan which illuminated a blood clot in her lung. Rhonda Sloan was using the birth control patch Ortho Evra at the time and believes that was the cause of her blood clot. "I didn't have any issues taking the pill, not getting sick or anything like that, and with the patch, it only took me three months to make me sick," Sloan said. Sloan is now one of thousands of American women suing Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Ortho Evra. She doesn't blame the doctor who prescribed her the patch. She holds Johnson and Johnson responsible. “They need to take more care about a human life, because I could have lost a life and my kids couldn't have a mother today," Sloan said. Sloan wants to get the word out to other women, especially teenagers. No Ortho Evra cases have gone to verdict, but several have been settled. Ronda Sloan says her attorneys expect her case to be settled sometime this year.

Posted by Seth A. Katz at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Texas, Proposition 12 is facing new challenges in the medical malpractice arena. Proposition 12 was passed in 2003 and limits non-economic damages granted by jurors to $250,000. A lawsuit has been filed by Adrian Cerny against orthopedist John McKeever and his assistant charging negligent care when an infection led to further damage to his knee. For more than four years, non-economic damages granted by juries in medical malpractice lawsuits have been limited to $250,000 per defendant and a total of $750,000 because of Texas House Bill 4 and Proposition 12. Recent medical malpractice lawsuits are now routinely challenging those caps as unconstitutional. Cerny's lawsuit says the caps violate the Texas Constitution's provision for access to open courts for those having an injury done to them. It also challenges constitutionality under other provisions, including prohibitions against the Legislature passing laws limiting civil actions and guarantees of due course of law.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A study authored by professors at Harvard for the Institute of Medicine entitled “To Err Is Human” concluded that medical errors account for more deaths in the U.S. than motor-vehicle accidents. The study was based on medical mistakes made over several years. The study called for improvements in the medical profession and found a number of reasons why. The results imply that at least 44,000 and as many as 98,000 Americans die in the hospital each year as the result of medical errors which exceed the number of deaths or injury in vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS. The likely causes of death or injury are a result of medication errors with wrong dosage or wrong medication, wrong-site surgery and compounding multi-system failures. The Journal of American Medical Association concurs with the findings saying in a follow up article that “despite ongoing claims of improvement, the statistic still remain grim and patients entering a hospital are all at risk for being injured, or worse, due to medical error.”

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The latest twist in motor vehicle accidents are people who are driving under the influence of prescription medications. Ann George, 59, spent more than three months in a hospital recovering from catastrophic injuries after Peggy Kouris slammed head-on into her car. The toxicology report showed that Kouris had a large amount of prescription barbiturates in her system at the time of the crash. The prosecution tried to have Kouris charged under operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, but couldn’t because barbiturates don’t fall under the drug categories allowed.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Five years ago a law was put in effect to reduce the malpractice rates in Ohio. The 2003 law capped most jury awards for pain and suffering to $350,000, but allowed up to $1 million in cases with multiple victims and injuries considered catastrophic. One would think with caps in place Ohio would have a higher population of doctors who deliver babies, more specifically obstetricians. That has not been proven the case. In fact, there is a 5 percent decrease from 2002 of the number of obstetricians and gynecologists Ohio has listed. Supporters of the malpractice caps, such as the Ohio State Medical Association, say insurance rate are still too high for obstetricians and other high-risk medical specialties. Opponents of caps, such as the Ohio Association for Justice, which represents trial lawyers, say if the limits worked the state would have more doctors delivering babies, not fewer. The opponents believe insurance rates were increasing not because of jury awards but because insurance companies were raising prices to make up for stock market losses. The insurance rates grew an average of 31 percent in 2002, but began to slow from 2005 to 2007. Even with the decline, doctors in high-risk areas such as obstetrics are still paying tens of thousands of dollars a year in insurance premiums. On average, obstetricians in Ohio paid about four times the rate of doctors in internal medicine in 2007. It would appear patients’ lack of access to high-risk medical specialists, including obstetricians, can be attributed to excessive insurance rates and not medical malpractice lawsuits.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Scientists, doctors and technicians are encouraged as medical science advances in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. A number of them are meeting in Connecticut to map future treatment for victims of TBI beginning with the veteran population. “The purpose is to bring together a collection of experts from around the country and other nations to develop an effective, state-of-the-art treatment program,” said Col. Michael Jaffee, director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. One neuroscientist has found that many of TBI victims once thought to be permanently lost are responding positively to different stimuli and treatments. “The severely injured brain may go through a longer period of recovery than we previously imagined,” Joseph Giacino of the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute said, recalling the case of a resident of Arkansas, who spontaneously regained fluent speech in 2002 after 19 years in a coma. Giacino said scientists are seeing improved recovery by using electrical impulses for deep brain stimulation. A pilot program centralizing the latest breakthroughs, technologies and research to one place, the Memorial Medical Center, will open new possibilities in treatment and recovery for the severely injured veterans and ultimately the nation.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A random act of violence has sent a published photographer to Craig’s hospital in Denver for rehabilitation from a traumatic brain injury. Bobby Model of Cody, Wyoming has had his photography appear in National Geographic, Outside, The New York Times and other publications. Last June while in Cape Town South Africa vacationing he was hit by a chunk of concrete that smashed through the windshield of the car he was in. At the time doctors gave him little chance of survival. Now at Craig, Model is communicating with his hands and recognizes family and friends. Before the accident Model was a well known rock climber and risk taker. He was never fearful of facing new challenges and stretching perceived limits. Bobby Model will need that drive as he recovers and rehabilitates from his traumatic brain injury. Dr. Alan Weintraub, medical director of Craig’s brain injury program said, “We want to help him not be who he was, but who he is now after the injury. We'll meet Bobby where his brain capacities allow us.” Weintraub is encouraging. “Bobby and his family are up for the challenges, no matter what the future holds. They're not going to dwell on what he can't do,” he said.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A 10-year-old New Jersey boy who has been disabled since birth has been awarded $19.25 million in a medical malpractice suit. The money will allow his mother Bonnie Kowalski to equip her home to accommodate his special needs, purchase a wheelchair-accessible van and take care for him the rest of his life. Bonnie Kowalski at 30 weeks pregnancy contacted her obstetrician Aravind Palav complaining of abdominal pain. Palav delayed determining she was hemorrhaging which caused her to lose a large amount of blood. Palav again failed to give Kowalski needed tests and did not recognize the baby might be in fetal distress even when a nurse warned him by pinpointing the woman’s problem. The baby, Brandon, was eventually delivered by C-section and had to be resuscitated at birth then spent four months in a neo-natal intensive care unit. Brandon now suffers from severe brain damage, cerebral palsy and is blind. With pre-judgment interest, the total award is expected to exceed $23 million.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two police cars from separate city police departments caused a civilian motor vehicle accident and a pedestrian accident outside of their jurisdiction in the Denver metro area in the span of four days. The first involved an Aurora patrol car who hit a family of four inside Denver City limits and rolled the SUV they were traveling in. The mother driving the SUV said the patrol car did not have its lights on, was traveling 35 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone and blew through a stop sign, colliding with the family’s SUV. The second involved a Denver Police Officer who hit a civilian inside Centennial city limits. A FOX 31 news investigation ran into a wall and did not get answers from the departments as to why each officer was out of their jurisdiction. The woman driving in the accident is considering taking legal action.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Medtronic’s implantable infusion pumps, SynchroMed and IsoMed, have been assigned a Class I recall by the Food and Drug Administration. Physicians have been and are currently being informed about an increase in the rate of inflammatory mass cases in patients receiving drugs through Medtronic’s infusion pumps. The Food and Drug Administration defines a Class I recall as a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause injury or death. In mid-January Medtronic sent an update to inform clinicians of the possibility of inflammatory mass cases. The inflammatory mass develops near the tip of the catheter attached to the pumps. Medtronic said the risk of an inflammatory mass has been part of the product labeling since 2001.

Posted by David P. Hersh at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Unsafe practices at surgical centers across Nevada are causing some to call for a review of medical malpractice damage award caps across the state. Lawmakers and lawyers are teaming up to push for the evaluation and support reinstating exemptions for gross negligence. The latest hepatitis C outbreak linked to unsanitary syringe use at an endoscopy center putting thousands in danger, is prompting the medical malpractice caps criticism. Lawmakers and lawyers feel victims are entitled to better compensation. An imposed three-year shield that prevented the Legislature from touching the 2004 law expired four months ago so now is the time for reevaluation.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In San Diego California a mother has filed claims against the San Marcos Fire Department and school district on behalf of her teenage son, Scott Eveland, a football player. The claim alleges both the fire department and school failed to take immediate action after her son suffered a catastrophic head injury during a football game. The mother, Diane Luth, said that her son began staggering and stumbling before losing consciousness, “the coaches, staff and emergency medical personnel present unreasonably delayed securing appropriate treatment and/or transporting claimant to the hospital, resulting in serious and irreparable brain damage to Scott Eveland.” At the time of the injury an ambulance was at the game as required, but did not transport Eveland to the hospital saying it needed to remain near the field in case other injuries occurred among other players. A second ambulance was summoned instead. “When dealing with a head injury when seconds count, to not immediately transport their son really put him at enormous risk,” said Dave Casey, the family's attorney. As for the school district, the claim alleges the coaches and athletic staff were not trained to recognize symptoms of a serious head injury, thus endangering Eveland’s life. The head injury occurred in the fall and Eveland remains hospitalized at a brain injury rehabilitation center in San Diego

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Food and Drug Administration reported recently new data on Medtronic’s AneuRx stent. The new data showed patients treated with the Medtronic stent to prevent aneurysms appear more likely to die than those who undergo surgery. It further describes that those who had the device implanted for five years are at an increased risk of death by aneurysms. The FDA have reported similar risks in the past, but the new data show the risks continue to climb each year after the stent is implanted. Medtronic said about 75,000 patients in the U.S. have its AneuRx stent as an alternative to surgery. The FDA estimates that 1.5 percent of patients who've had AneuRx five years will die from an aneurysm, well above the 0.18 percent death rate in patients who had surgery. FDA recommended that doctors use AneuRx only for what its label prescribes. Doctors sometimes use stents outside of FDA approved uses.

Posted by David P. Hersh at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dr. John A. King is at the center of up to 124 medical malpractice lawsuits in West Virginia and Alabama filed against him. The hospital he was employed at the time of the medical malpractice has decided to settle 70 of them. The amount of the settlements will not be disclosed for several weeks. Each of the West Virginia lawsuits allege King “botched surgeries or otherwise harmed patients” during his six months at the former Putnam General Hospital now known as Charleston Area Medical Center. King was hired in November 2002 and had his privileges suspended after a review of his work. He later surrendered his West Virginia medical license and left the state. Records show King has been licensed in more than a dozen states but has surrendered, lost or had his license suspended in at least six.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Late last year over-the-counter children’s cold and cough medicines were removed from consumer use because of increased risk of overdoses in young children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over-the-counter cough and cold medicines send an estimated 7,000 US children under the age of 12 to emergency rooms every year. At the time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines that contain decongestants and antihistamines should come with new instructions saying they are not for very young children. In response, a California mother has filed suit against Novartis AG, makers of Triaminic, who used the product on her 4-year-old son. It is not immediately apparent how it may have harmed her son. The lawsuit alleges that several studies have shown deaths and serious injuries linked to the children’s medicines. The lawsuit says that as a result, Novartis "either knew ... or reasonably should have known that their cough and cold products were ineffective and dangerous when used by children under the age of six." Novartis recalled Triaminic oral infant cough and cold medicines late last year and said that they believe this is the first such lawsuit filed against them.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to a study released in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, fasting within 24 hours of a moderate traumatic brain injury is believed to help reduce the effects of the injury. Researchers at the University of Kentucky, led by Patrick Sullivan of the UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, found a significant recovery of tissue and cognitive function in subjects who fasted following a moderate TBI. Fasting reduces the levels of mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular damage that causes brain tissue to breakdown. Lead author and graduate student Laurie Davis reported that the effects of low blood glucose induced by insulin administration increased mortality in some cases rather that protecting neuro functioning. After researchers administered ketones (which are released naturally in response to lack of sustanence), they found significant improvements in tissue protection which led them to believe fasting after a moderate TBI lead to a positive outcome.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Food & Drug Administration concurred with a study from the Journal of American Medical Association concerning Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s anemia drugs used in cancer patients. FDA advisors said the drugs should be sharply restricted to a certain population of cancer patients. Earlier, FDA staff told panelists there is no definitive evidence that the anemia drugs are safe when used as recommended. The drugs, Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit, are at the center of the study that shows increased risks of death and tumor growth in patients on them. A panel of cancer experts voted nine-to-five to withdraw the drugs use in patients with breast or head and neck cancers that affect the sinuses, throat and lymph nodes. Three times in the past year the FDA has strengthened the warning labels on the anemia drugs, Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Paramjit Singh, 54, of Mount Vernon Washington checked into Providence Everett Medical Center for cardiac bypass surgery. What he received was a heart transplant. During the operation a monitor manufactured by Edwards Lifesciences Corp malfunctioned, causing a catheter to overheat and burn his heart, irretrievably damaging it. He now suffers other problems as a result of the malfunction and must take anti-rejection drugs the rest of his life. A Superior Court jury awarded Singh $40.1 million. The award included $8.35 million in punitive damages. Edwards Lifesciences Corp blames Providence Everett Medical Center for using a damaged cable and the hospital blames Edwards for failing to disclose a problem with the monitor. The jury ordered Edwards to pay 99.99 percent of the damages, leaving Providence responsible for .01 percent. Edwards was also ordered to pay Providence $310,000 in damages.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Creatine is a supplement used by athletes and body builders to increase muscle power. It is now at the center of a study researching the efficacy of use to help prevent brain damage and death in newborn babies after oxygen starvation during birth. It is believed that one in 300 babies in developed countries suffers birth injuries as a result of oxygen deprivation at the time of birth. Researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia Zoe Ireland and David Walker, think organic acid creatine protects cells by providing energy when oxygen levels are low. Recent research on humans suggests that creatine supplements can also protect nerve cells from damage in patients with Huntingdon's disease or after traumatic brain injury. The current study is the first to look at the effects of maternal creatine supplementation on the health of the fetus. Patrick O'Brien, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London believes that creatine supplementation could become a potentially safe and easy protective intervention, much like folic acid supplementation, which is now recommended to prevent neural tube such as spina bifida.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

http://www.burgsimpson.com/brain.htmlAs the nation recognizes brain injury awareness the month of March, the state of Washington has added a $2.00 fee to moving violations to fund the traumatic brain injury effort and hopes to generate $1.9 million a year. Officials launched a statewide campaign to raise awareness about traumatic brain injury. The campaign informs the public of a toll-free help line and website where more can be learned about the injury and be referred to services. The Brain Injury Association of Washington estimates more than 100,000 of its residents are coping with debilitating traumatic brain injuries.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A New York based nonprofit organization is offering DVD copies of a film entitled “The Other Breakfast Club” to be released soon. The National Road and Safety Foundation’s film focuses on traumatic brain injury patients and their health care professionals. The DVD’s goal is to share the experiences of victims of TBIs and educating the public and nationwide health agencies of the life-changing consequences as well as the hope of recovery through rehabilitation. “The Other Breakfast Club” is about a support group of 20-somethings who have suffered a TBI in auto accidents and they share their experiences in this educational documentary. Copies of the DVD are available for free through the website. The site also offers a number of other resources that can be viewed in Media Player format.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In 2005 the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners removed content from its website on doctors’ medical malpractice claims or settlement histories. Dr. Stephen Montoya, then board president, at the time said that many physicians were concerned about the malpractice information on the site “because it makes them appear to be bad physicians.” The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen disagreed. Prior to the decision made by the board in 2005, consumers could research their doctor’s names on the board’s website. “Ideally, you want boards to give out as much information as they can to consumers,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the organization’s Health Research Group at the Public Citizen. Access is still possible for osteopathic doctors. The Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine posts malpractice information on its licensees on its website. The board’s executive administrator, Catryna Kelly, said her board considers it a public service to put as much information as possible on its Web site regarding osteopathic physicians. In an environment where you get less medical care for more money its just good business to allow consumers the option to research their doctor.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When Medtronic recalled its heart defibrillator with Sprint Fidelis leads in October a study was initiated to enhance monitoring of patients currently using the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The study was posted in late February on a website for a doctors group called the Heart Rhythm Society that reported researchers of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation found that the enhanced monitoring proved “relatively ineffective in preventing adverse clinical events.” The heightened monitoring intended to detect failures did little to warn patients of potential trouble with their ICDs. About 268,000 people worldwide have been implanted with Sprint Fidelis leads and so far five deaths have been linked to malfunctions. At the time of the recall, doctors were instructed to reprogram patients’ ICDs so that an alarm would sound when something was wrong. Of the 514 Sprint Fidelis leads implanted at the Heart Institute, 17 failed 11 to 35 months after insertion, according to the study. Twelve patients received inappropriate shocks, and two did not hear the warning alarms. “What the report states is that the monitoring technique for determining when a Sprint Fidelis lead is going to fail is relatively ineffective in preventing adverse clinical events,” like inappropriate shocking, said Dr. Robert Hauser, a cardiologist at the foundation who is known nationwide for tracking safety information concerning heart devices. Overall, enhanced monitoring of the leads did not prevent shocks in two-thirds of the Heart Institute's patients that had Sprint Fidelis, the study says.

Posted by David P. Hersh at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program was designed in the late 1980s and was created for children whose conditions stem from oxygen loss at the time of delivery. In the 1970s, the Virginia legislature capped awards in medical malpractice lawsuits at $1 million, but the cap is increasing because of inflation and will reach $2 million this year. The program was started as an alternative to victims seeking compensation due to injury. Children who have been in the program have lived longer than was initially expected when it began so the financial stability is questionable. In 2000 the program was at risk of running out of money. Some of the factors advanced were long-term cost inaccuracies, non-collection of fees from doctors, hospitals and insurance companies and the purchase of close to 25 houses for some families enrolled. Today, there is enough to last another 20 years, but program officials estimate at least $100 million more is needed for expenses beyond that. Retired obstetrician, Susan Lucas chairs the program’s board. She said when the program was initiated 20 years ago; they did not expect the children to live much past 5. If they did live, it was expected that they would become residents in facilities that would be covered by federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. "Things are very different now,'' Lucas said. Average medical expenses are estimated at $2.2 million over a child's lifetime. Now, most of the children live at home but are incapable of performing basic tasks. As of December 31st, 109 children from an original 136 were in the program. Attorney Ann Jones has helped enroll about 30 children and says most of the parents have no idea the program is in trouble. “Most don't know what's going on,” she said. Representatives from the medical, hospital and insurance industries began meeting in 2006 to search for a financial solution. Some parents, such as David Keeler, learned about the meetings and pressed to be included. “These people have put themselves before the children,” said Keeler, whose 14-year-old son, Kyle, is in the program. “I've seen this program that served children, a bright shining example in the country, turn into a complete embarrassment.” In a legislative effort to reduce victims legal recourse, unintended consequences have caused the very people the program was intended to cover, at risk of being abandoned.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot Inc. is supporting rehabilitation efforts for veterans at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The rehabilitation hospital will provide free care to military veterans needing traumatic brain or spinal cord injury services that the government does not cover. The support will include a range of testing, care and rehabilitation services. “These people are putting their lives on the line every day, and they deserve the best treatment possible,” said Marcus. The military takes care of the initial care of severe and obvious traumatic brain injuries, but lags in consistent long-term follow-up services. The new initiative will cover additional services, including brain scans and psychological evaluations, rehabilitation, bathroom equipment and even canes. There is no set budget for the SHARE Initiative. Marcus said he'll start paying bills, and hopes other donors and medical centers will join in. “We'll try to take care of as many people as we can,” Marcus said.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

University of Illinois researchers from health sciences and engineering are working together on a project that could ultimately benefit combat soldiers who’ve suffered serious, but often undetectable, blast-related brain injuries. The project’s intent will study the latest communication technology used as real-time blast-injury data recorders. The research is funded through a Concept Award from the U.S. Department of Defense Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program of the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. The researchers plan to develop and test an integrated system of a modified battlefield helmet retrofitted with “smart nanotechnology sensors” designed to record the effects of blast injuries immediately. The system will then analyze data of the individual’s physical condition and then upload the information into a cell-phone-like device. The U.S. Army already has some sensor-equipped helmets in use in Afghanistan, but they only record results every 30 days which could significantly limit their effectiveness. This team of researchers are testing and developing a product that will show real-time data, thus allowing for immediate diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Scotland, doctors are developing a new system to improve recovery and survival rates of their brain injury patients. The new system is based off of the patients’ blood pressure. Brain injury patients share a commonality, suffering from a drop in blood pressure which can lead to slower recovery and sometimes permanent brain damage. Currently, medical staff monitors patients’ blood pressure and react to changes, but the new system, known as AVERT-IT, will alert staff to subtle changes that occur before a drop in blood pressure. The system is based on the patient’s health information collected from bedside monitoring. Ian Piper, from the Department of Clinical Physics and Bioengineering at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, said the sophisticated software would help staff to treat patients more effectively. He added, "Whenever a patient has suffered a traumatic brain injury they are connected to lots of high-tech medical equipment. These machines collect reams of data, and this can be used to anticipate when a patient may take a turn for the worse. By finding out if a patient is likely to deteriorate; we can intervene and hopefully avert any adverse incidents. Specifically, we're trying to predict when a patient might suffer a fall in blood pressure because that's something this kind of patient is particularly prone to. A fall in blood pressure can then leave the patient more vulnerable to serious subsequent problems."

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Trey Jones, 5 years old, was prescribed a blood pressure drug for his hand tremors and hyperactivity, what the Walgreens pharmacy filled was a steroid for adults. The boy spiraled into premature puberty and erupted into rages. At the time of the drug prescription the Walgreens manager had asked for increased staffing months earlier to “decrease the pharmacist’s stress”. The prescription was refilled four times at eventually double the adult dosage before the error was caught. Trey’s parents sued Walgreens on the grounds that the steroid could stunt the boy’s growth or cause liver damage. This is not an isolated incident. A North Carolina infant was given an antibiotic at five times the prescribed dosage.

USA TODAY investigations found evidence of corporate policies contribute to errors like the one that Trey Jones experienced. In their investigation they reviewed lawsuits, pharmacy board disciplinary actions, and interviews with pharmacist and drug-error victims. This is what was determined: They are too many prescriptions and not enough pharmacists. Corporate policies place an emphasis on quantity not quality. Walgreens and CVS rely on low paid, lesser-trained technicians to help pharmacists process and package prescriptions even though by law pharmacists are required to verify the accuracy of the prescription. Bonuses rewarded for increase in prescription volume. Finally, gaps in patient pharmacist counseling. Daniel Hussar, a pharmacy professor at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, is more critical. He says staffing policies have made pharmacy chains stressful workplaces. “The emphasis on speed is counterproductive. It's an invitation for error,” says Hussar who is editor of The Pharmacist Activist, an online newsletter. The pharmacist who made the prescription mistake in Trey’s case was fined $500. Most prescription errors don't cause major health problems, but the outcomes can occasionally be catastrophic. Walgreens has lost three trials involving deaths caused by drug mistakes since September 2006. Verdicts in the cases totaled more than $61 million.

Posted by David P. Hersh at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Haifa in Israel has developed a computer program that will be able to identify the type of brain injury a patient has, calculate recovery probabilities and recommend the most effective treatment. Currently, Israeli hospitals are using virtual reality therapy for stroke patients. Tennis balls are “thrown” at a patient from all directions and the patients hand movements are recorded on screen. Computer scientists are integrating the data extracted from the virtual reality therapy into their computer program. The computer was able to learn to differentiate between different types of brain injuries. Stoke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). It accurately diagnosed between 90 – 98 percent of whether the patient was healthy, suffered a traumatic brain injury or a stroke.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Food and Drug Administration announced it has approved a Black Box warning to anemia drugs because of increased risk of death and tumor growth. The Black Box warning, which is the most extreme warning, will be added to Aranesp, Epogen, and Procrit. The drugs treat the blood-disorder in patients with kidney failure or who are undergoing chemotherapy. In November last year prior labeling was added to the drugs warning of similar risks in other types of cancers. Labeling approved by FDA said risks occurred when doctors treated patients with elevated levels of the drugs, which stimulate red blood cell levels. The announcement comes less than a week before government advisers are slated to meet to review the risks of the medications. Wall Street analysts expect sales to fall in 2008. The panel may recommend halting the use of the drugs for cancer patients.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dr. William Maisel, who recently criticized the medical device industry and the FDA for failing to provide consumers with timely and critical information about device malfunctions calls for further consumer protection legislation. In October Medtronic recalled their implantable defibrillators after learning that the fractures of the Sprint Fidelis leads used in the product caused five patient deaths. Dr. Maisel said that five months before Medtronic recalled the Sprint Fidelis lead wire, they submitted an application to the FDA to change the product's design and manufacturing. That request was not publicized to physicians or patients even though doctors had received letters from Medtronic in February 2007 stating that there could be a problem with the lead. He noted that after FDA approved the design changes, old versions of the Sprint Fidelis lead remained on hospital shelves for use in patients. “Often, a flawed product continues to be marketed while the manufacturer submits a revised marketing application to the FDA and awaits approval of the amended product design and manufacturing plan,” Maisel wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine editorial. “Manufacturers have repeatedly and knowingly sold potentially defective devices without public disclosure.” Dr. Robert Hauser of the Minneapolis Heart Institute, who last year helped bring the Sprint Fidelis problem to light, seconded Maisel's call for consumer protection legislation. Hauser published a medical journal article in July that suggested patients were being needlessly, and repeatedly, shocked by their Medtronic defibrillators because lead wires were fracturing at an unusually high rate. The force of a defibrillator shock is similar to being kicked in the chest by a horse, Hauser said. "When you stand back and look at this, what's so disturbing is that physicians started implanting this lead because it was FDA-approved — they thought, 'Well, it's a nice, small lead, and it's FDA-approved so it must be OK,' " said Hauser. "Just because a device is FDA-approved does not necessarily mean it is safe."

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A Marine Corps veteran of the first Gulf War, Ted Stachulski, has a mission to help raise awareness of Traumatic Brain Injury among health care professionals and getting information about support and services into the possession of veterans with TBIs. Stachulski used to work as an engineering and robotics technician and was skilled at multi-tasking and fast thinking. That all changed in 1999 when he was hit in his right temple at work by a piece of metal. He went to the emergency room because of nausea and dizziness, suspecting he had a concussion and was given a CT scan which showed nothing. In 2000, he was hit by another piece of equipment at work and suffered another concussion. Finally in 2001, he was knocked out by his car hood when a strong gust of wind caused it to crash onto him. When he came to and found his cell phone, he couldn’t remember how to use it. Not a stranger to concussions from his sports involvement in high school, what he didn’t know was the cumulative effects of them. Stachulski began to drop his tools, couldn’t keep his once meticulously neat desk clean and as time went on he because increasingly disorganized and dysfunctional, eventually forcing him to quit work. Finally, in 2005 he went to the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont where medical providers who had cross-training was able to correctly diagnose him as a sufferer of TBI. As Stahulski began the road of rehabilitation he started collecting information about TBI and handing it out to veterans. He created “The Veteran’s Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide” and began distributing free copies of it. The guide describes the symptoms of TBI, provides a flow chart of the screening process and describes what various specialists do. It includes information on how to cope with vision and memory problems, head pain and seizures. And it lists resources and contact numbers for support groups; vocational, rehabilitation, counseling and economic services; alcohol and drug abuse programs; and services for spouses and family members. Stachulski now is part of several state Traumatic Brain Injury groups, and in 2007 he received the Brain Injury Association of Vermont's "Survivor of the Year" award.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cardiologist Dr. William Maisal wrote in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that a recent Medtronic recall of its Sprint Fidelis leads used in its defibrillators illustrates why patients who get medical devices need more consumer protections from the government. Five deaths have been attributed to the fractures and after a 2.3 percent fracture rate over a 30 month period; Medtronic pulled them from the market in October 2007. Dr. Maisal is the director of the Medical Device Safety Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is sometimes critical of the way Medtronic and the Food and Drug Administration handled the matter. In his opinion piece he wrote that when the Sprint Fidelis lead was approved by the FDA in 2004, the device was never tested on humans, so in effect there was no clinical data to show whether it was safe. Although many cardiologists say public disclosure of a device's safety record is overwhelming and alarming to patients, Maisel argues that patients should be educated about potential risks before treatment, as part of the informed-consent process. The FDA, he adds, is failing in its mission to protect public health, saying that it does not disseminate accurate, and science-based information to the public. Maisel says that congressional action is needed, because "essential consumer protections are currently lacking." The vast majority of medical devices approved by the FDA involve no consumer input. Safety oversight shouldn't be left to device manufacturers, he argues, because they have an "inherent financial conflict of interest" and a "stronger legal obligation to their shareholders" than to patients.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In September 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) asked the manufacturers of gadolinium contrast dyes to add black box warnings to their product labels about its association with pre-existing kidney disease patients and the onset Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis. The FDA also warned that patients with kidney disease should avoid gadolinium contrast agents. NSF is a devastating condition characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin, pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. NSF can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and even possibly death. There is currently no cure for NSF, but those who have received kidney transplants have shown improvement. On February 29, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation designated the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as the venue for any lawsuits that have been filed or will be filed in against the makers of gadolinium contrast dyes. An estimated 68 cases have been filed in more than a dozen different federal districts against gadolinium contrast dye manufacturers. The U.S. Judicial Panel indicated that the Northern District of Ohio provides a relatively central forum for the consolidation of this nationwide litigation.

Posted by Peter W. Burg at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Philadelphia resident and patient with pre-existing kidney disease against the makers of a Gadolinium contrasting MRI agent. Zbigniew Marcinczyk contracted Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis after being injected twice with the contrasting dye Omniscan, manufactured by General Electric Company, before being administered an MRI. The two hospitals he received the injections at both confirmed the use of Omniscan. Shortly after the administration of Omniscan, Marcinczyk developed and continues to suffer from the severe, debilitating and progressive changes associated with NSF that has permanently disabled, disfigured and severely impaired him. The lawsuit further alleges that Omniscan is defective, that the manufacturers failed to adequately test Omniscan and failed to warn patients about its potential to cause NSF.

Posted by Peter W. Burg at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colorado Connections-Denver Options is a program that offers counseling and money to people with Traumatic Brain Injuries. According to the Colorado Health Department, about 23,000 people in Colorado are treated for TBI each year. A mother daughter duo Kay DeSouchet and Kelli Arbogast were in a car accident with seemingly few injuries. When Kay went back to work as a middle school social worker she couldn’t keep up. She was having trouble with normal everyday tasks, "I couldn't put meals together, like going to the grocery store with the lights and noise, and activity was overwhelming," said Kay. Kelli shared the same overwhelming feelings. "I was just really stressed out with school, and I couldn't handle as much," she said. After going to see her doctor several times, Kay was referred to another and was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury. Kay encouraged Kelli to go, "because she was having anxiety around school, and hadn't before, so she was tested and yes, she had a brain injury too," said Kay. Vision and cognitive therapy proved helpful. A representative from The Brain Trust Fund referred Kay to Colorado Connections-Denver Options. Now, both Kay and Kelli are using Pilates to help heal their brain injuries. Both women say they have noticed dramatic changes. Kay no longer struggles with the lights and noise of busy public places, and Kelli is earning straight A's in high school.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bisphosphonates is a family of drugs used in treating osteoporosis. They include the name brands Fosamax, Didronel, Boniva, Aredia, Actonel Skelid Reclast and Zometa. In a publication sent to The New England Journal of Medicine the question was raised about an association between atrial fibrillation and the use of bisphosphonates. The article revealed information describing increased rates of serious atrial fibrillation which is life-threatening and can result in hospitalization or disability. In two different studies using older women with osteoporosis treated with the bisphosphonates they found an increase in the occurrence of atrial fibrillation when using the drugs as opposed to a placebo. The FDA is currently reviewing the safety of the drugs and will communicate their findings and recommendations in the coming months.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The month of March is Brain Injury Awareness month. The Brain Injury Association of America and the CDC are teaming up by offering materials such as posters, fact sheets and educational booklets in the BIAA online store. The BIAA produced a public service announcement entitled “Help Students Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” and is targeted at parents. The CDC produced materials entitled, “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury” and is targeted at the caregivers for older adults and includes an activity guide, media guide, fact sheet and how to prevent, recognize and respond to TBI in seniors 75 and older. BIAA is co-sponsoring the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Awareness Fair. A briefing and reception will be held on March 12th in Washington, DC. At the reception paper origami cranes will be displayed with the goal of spreading awareness of TBI through personal stories. Deacon Patrick Jones from Colorado is initiating the Brain Crane Project for 2008 March Brain Injury Awareness Month and requested individuals with TBI to join the effort in increasing awareness of brain injury by making an origami crane. The cranes will be displayed at the Congressional Brain Injury Awareness Fair on Capitol Hill. Many states are joining the recognition of March as the Brain Injury Awareness Month and further information can be found in their individual websites.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The parents of a 2-year-old have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Trilpler Army Medical Center alleging negligence causing catastrophic injuries at the time of her birth. The lawsuit alleges that while the mother was in labor, a fetal heart monitor showed that the child began experiencing “severe and repetitive decelerations of her heart rate.” The symptoms indicated that the baby was suffering a deprivation of oxygen that necessitated an immediate delivery by C-section. Instead, the mother remained in delivery for an additional 10 hours and when the child was born the doctor discovered the reason for the fetal distress was the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck causing asphyxiation. The baby needed to be resuscitated and required a tube to be placed in her airway to allow her to breath. Again, instead the tube was placed in her esophagus rather than her trachea for almost half an hour before the mistake was identified, causing further injury from lack of oxygen. The little girl has since been diagnosed with bilateral cerebral palsy and other physical problems and has received continuous physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Colorado Senate backed a bill that would increase the amount juries can award in some medical malpractice suits. Trial lawyers and Democrats believe the bill will return the law to where it was under the state’s original tort reform. Senate Bill 164 applies to cases where someone has been disfigured or impaired and would allow victims to sue for up to $1 million in damages. The Senate voted 18-15 in favor.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Las Vegas attorney has taken on a class action lawsuit against the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. The Endoscopy Center is the latest clinic at the center of a Hepatitis C and B and HIV scare. It is believed that as many as 40,000 people have been exposed. The Southern Nevada Health district is in the midst of notifying all of them of the possibility of exposure. The plaintiffs, Michael Cordero and Richard Taylor, are seeking payment to cover tests for Hepatitis B and C, HIV and damages for pain and suffering. If the court grants the lawsuit class action status, other former patients could become part of it. “I would think at least hundreds of people have been infected just on the basis of the percentage of people who have hepatitis or AIDS in the general population,” attorney Will Kemp said. “There’s so many things wrong here. Using dirty syringes is a Third World practice. My clients are scared to death that they could have an infectious disease.” Under a 2004 state law, damages for pain and suffering from medical malpractice cannot exceed $350,000 per incident. An attorney involved in the case has said it is a certainty that the constitutionality of the cap will be challenged before the Nevada Supreme Court and that the $350,000 ceiling could be struck down before any Endoscopy Center cases make their way through the courts. This could be Nevada state’s largest class action medical malpractice case ever.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Canadian researchers reported that in head injuries where an individual has been knocked unconscious it has been found that widespread brain tissue loss can occur. The more severe the injury, the more brain tissue is lost. “There is more damage and it is more widespread than we had expected,” said Dr. Brian Levine of the Rotman Research Institute and the University of Toronto, whose study appears in the journal Neurology. Levine studied brain scans taken from 69 traumatic brain injury patients whose head injuries ranged from mild to severe. The researchers used high-resolution MRI to study changes in brain volume a year after the injury and then ran a computer analysis of the images and found that even patients with mild brain injuries with no apparent scarring had less brain volume. “When you have a blow to the head, it causes a neurochemical reaction in the brain cells that lead to cell death,” Levine said “The more cells that die, the less tissue you have.” The amount of tissue loss had a direct correlation to the severity of the injury and how long the person was unconscious. The lost brain tissue involved both frontal and posterior brain regions and the most damage was observed in the white matter (tissue used for communication in the brain). The study further added to the abundance of information regarding TBI and the related memory problems, personality changes, confusion and cognitive dysfunction.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health Systems, Jonathan R. Dillman, MD, lead author reports on allergic type reactions patients are experiencing when being administered gadolinium. Gadolinium has been linked to the debilitating and sometimes terminal disease Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis. The study reports that even when patients have been given corticosteroids and antihistamines before injected with gadolinium, some can still present with allergic-like reactions. For the study, researchers reviewed data from the institution’s department of radiology over a five-year period. They found that eight patients experienced nine allergic-like reactions after being gadolinium despite being pre-medicated. Out of these reactions, six were mild and three were moderate. There were no severe reactions. In response to the findings Dr. Dillman says, “Radiologists, therefore, must be available to treat an allergic-like reaction following gadolinium-containing contrast material administration.”

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Film stars, pro cyclists and veteran advocates are teaming together to raise money and awareness for military veterans with traumatic brain injuries. Mike Vogel, actor from the film Cloverfield, is the chairman of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and is participating in a series of “Road 2 Recovery” bike rides across the country. Mike McNaughton, a member of the Wounded Warrior Project and a Louisiana VA official, explains how the sport can help veterans. "The movement and independence cycling creates is a great way to treat depression, one of the biggest problems for wounded vets." The first of two major fundraising rides will begin May 17 in Philadelphia and end May 25 in Charlotte, with a lap before the start of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. The second ride is planned for Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 from San Francisco to west Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway. One other cyclist involved in the program is the former pro racer Saul Raisin. "Cycling does something wonderful and healing to your brain," says Raisin, whose pro cycling career was cut short when he suffered a serious brain injury in a French race in 2006. "It gives you more stamina to heal and helps you get over the depression that occurs." Doctors gave Raisin little chance of recovery, but he now shows few signs of his injury. "Many of our country's military members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from traumatic brain injury," says William Anderson, an assistant secretary of the Air Force. "As a premier athlete who also suffered from TBI but has recovered from his injuries, Saul Raisin is an inspiration."

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In mid January Baxter International Inc. recalled nine lots of heparin sodium injection multi-does vials due to a higher than usual number of reports of adverse reactions in patients. Baxter has expanded its recall to all lots and doses of its heparin sodium injection multi-dose, single-dose vials and HEP-LOCK heparin flush products. The reason all lots were not initially recalled was because the FDA determined there might be a shortage of heparin therapy there by increasing risk to patients needing it. Since then the FDA has concluded the recall will not jeopardize access to the drug and has informed Baxter that they may now recall its remaining lots of heparin sodium injection and flush products. Nearly all reported adverse reactions have occurred in renal dialysis, invasive cardiovascular procedures and apheresis procedures. The reactions have included a gambit of complications including hypotension that could be severe or life threatening.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association it was found that treating cancer patients with anemia drugs increases their risk of blood clots and death. Anemia is a common complication of cancer treatment. The researches said the drugs, including Amgen Inc’s Aranesp and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit, increased the risk of death by 10 percent. “Our findings, in conjunction with basic science studies, raise the concern that the drug may be stimulating cancer and shortening cancer patients' survival,” Dr. Charles Bennett of Northwestern University in Chicago said in a statement. He added, “The findings of mortality are new and are different from prior reports,” and said the drugs, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), also increased the risk of blood clots in the lungs and legs by 57 percent in cancer patients. An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be discussing safety concerns about the drugs on March 13. Last March, the FDA warned of an increased risk of serious and life-threatening side effects in a public health advisory on ESAs.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mid last year Indiana lawmakers passed a bill that put a $10 fee onto motorcycle registrations to fund research for spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Expectedly, bikers were infuriated by the discrimination. House Bill 1318 was recently passed by the Senate to eliminate the fee and goes back to the House for consideration. The new Bill includes a 30 cents per vehicle fee and would generate about $1.6 million in revenue for the Spinal cord and Brain Injury fund. The fund is managed by a board that will provide grants for research and programs as well as a surveillance registry to track the injuries. “We currently have approximately 155,000 people in Indiana living with traumatic brain injuries and over 10,000 new cases are expected annually,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Construction workers are in a highly dangerous career. There is not a day goes by that reports of a death or injury occurs at construction sites around the country. Just recently, in Colorado Springs, Colorado two men were injured. According to authorities, an employee climbed a ladder that dislodged a steel beam that had not been welded together yet, breaking one mans leg. When another fellow worker climbed down to help him a second beam fell on him causing back and neck injuries. Both were in the employ of Catamount Constructors. They are expected to recover from their injuries. The injuries sustained by the second man could be a career ender and if he has disability that’s great, but what happens when his disability is used up?

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Nevada clinic is the latest site of Hepatitis C exposure and possible HIV exposure when an investigation by health department officials determined that “unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia medication might have exposed patients to the blood of other patients.” Six people underwent procedures at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, five were treated the same day in September and the sixth is believed to have been infected in July. The Southern Nevada Health District believes about 40,000 more people should be tested for the viruses. Officials said the unsafe practices had been in place for several years and may have put others at risk. About 40,000 patients who received injections of anesthesia at the clinic will be told of the potential exposure in letters being sent out. Officials are encouraging anyone who received anesthesia at the clinic from March 2004 to January 11, 2008 to be tested, “We are recommending all patients during this time frame to get tested because we cannot determine which patients may have been exposed, chief health officer Lawrence Sands said. Hepatitis C is a chronic, potentially fatal virus that can cause liver ailments, including cancer and liver failure. The health district says it typically receives reports of two acute cases each year. Three of the six cases reported this year are acute. The virus may have been spread when clinic staff reused syringes and used a single dose of anesthesia medication on multiple patients, the district said.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An Indiana mother and her daughter were awarded $3.7 million in a case where malpractice caused a newborn infant cerebral palsy. Indiana law limits medical malpractice damages in injury or death to $1.25 million and the doctor or hospital only pays the first $250,000. The Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund covers the rest only up to the cap limit. That means, regardless of a jury awarding $3.7 million, the mother and her daughter will only receive $1.95 million. The cap does not carefully consider the lifetime of care the girl will need. The mother’s lawsuit argued that her daughter, now 6-years-old, will live with cerebral palsy the rest of her life because of delays in the delivery that deprived her brain of oxygen for 12 minutes post C-section. Additionally, when the mother underwent emergency C-section a sponge was left behind in her torso. She had to go back into surgery for its subsequent removal.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In Wisconsin families of medical malpractice victims won an important first step to justice when the state Senate voted in favor of The Family Justice Bill. Under current Wisconsin law if a single, 18 year-old living at home with her parents dies because of negligence by the medical establishment the family has no legal recourse. Adult children of widowed, divorced or single parents don't have the right to seek retribution they have died as a result of medical negligence. The Family Justice Bill is an important piece of legislation that insures everyone in Wisconsin can seek justice if a loved one dies as a result of medical negligence. The state Senate has agreed and voted in favor of the bill. Now it goes to the Assembly.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In response to an Oregon Supreme Court’s ruling, a task force has been pulled together to determine the proper course in medical malpractice lawsuits. In December, the Oregon Supreme Court threw out a $200,000 limit that state agencies, local governments and special districts pay to compensate an injured person. The court ruled the cap was unconstitutional in the case of Jordaan Michael Clarke, whose claim against Oregon Health and Science University it an estimated $17 million. In a concurrent ruling, Justice Thomas Balmer wrote that lawmakers should have raised the caps on medical malpractice damages long ago and suggested that they do so immediately. The task force will study provisions in other states, rates of inflation, economic versus non-economic damages, and the possibility of separating medical malpractice cases from other negligence claims.

Posted by Scott J. Eldredge at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Supreme Court decision in a case involving Medtronic and its defective defibrillator leads has severely limited recourse for victims injured by medical devices. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Medtronic in the ruling that, if federal regulators have approved a medical device a lawsuit cannot be filed under Minnesota state laws. It is a big business friendly ruling that is disturbing and could be contagious nationwide. Lawyers defending patients who are the survivors or family of the victims of defective medical devices said that the threat of litigation has long been an incentive for medical device makers to produce the safest product possible before releasing it for consumer use. If a patient is harmed or killed by a defective device, they should have the right to sue the company that made it. The court's ruling virtually thwarts that possibility. What is particularly upsetting are recent reports that the FDA is not doing its job of protecting the public from dangerous drugs and medical devices and people have been injured or killed as a result. The ruling has essentially left the protection from defective devices or drugs in the hands of the FDA and protected big business from responsibility.

Posted by David P. Hersh at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a study out of John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland it was concluded that the more severe a traumatic brain injury the more personality changes experienced resulting in the level of productive life declining. Data from 54 subjects with closed head TBI were enrolled in an outpatient neuropsychiatry brain injury clinic. Every patient was evaluated and followed by a clinic psychiatrist. About a third of the patients were diagnosed with personality changes. Of that third most suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and had worse cognitive function and were less successful in finding employment after TBI. In addition patients who had severe TBI did not benefit from medication. The study observations will be helpful in guiding the development of future studies and treatments.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Synthetic Blood International, Inc. manufacturers of Oxycyte™ announced that The United States Department of Defense has approved a $1.9 million grant to M. Ross Bullock, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery. Bullock is the initial researcher for the planned Phase IIb clinical trial with Oxycyte™ for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Oxycyte a per-fluorocarbon (PFC) therapeutic oxygen carrier and blood substitute. “With this grant, we will be able to double our planned enrollment in the Phase IIb trial to 200 TBI patients, providing a larger statistical basis for evaluating Oxycyte’s effectiveness as a treatment in this indication,” stated Dr Bullock “We are scheduled to commence the double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIb trial in April of this year.” Positive data from the Oxycyte pilot study in TBI patients demonstrated that it was more effective in increasing brain oxygen levels and helping other brain chemistries with favorable clinical outcomes in TBI patients instead of just breathing 100 percent or 50 percent oxygen. Most TBI victims die or remain severely disabled due to inadequate early cerebral oxygenation.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Central Florida will be the site of a traumatic brain injury program that provides students with fee rehabilitation services. UCF is the first university to offer such a program. The program will also offer academic opportunities to some students and graduate students will be able to take advantage of studying communication disorders among the participants of the TBI rehab program. It is estimated that about 15 percent of the nation’s college population has experience a traumatic brain injury. The treatment provided is funded by a state program aimed at rehabilitation of those with brain and spinal cord injuries. Amanda Patrick, a UCF student needed rehabilitation after a car accident and in a prepared statement said that without both physical and mental rehab, a student’s life can be derailed.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering conference February 20th two researchers revealed data on their individual studies and findings related to detecting traumatic brain injuries. Marilyn Kraus, associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, talked about how using Diffusion Sensor Imaging to look at white brain matter, differences appeared that correspond with cognitive and behavioral issues. She Concluded, that if the white brain matter is studied closely it could help differentiate between PTSD and mild TBI symptoms. While using the Diffusion Sensor Imaging she found that scans of people with mild TBI were “significantly different” from normal scans. The differences could also point to future problems, such as epilepsy or dementia. The second is David Hovda, professor of surgery at the University of California. He reported that a closer look at brain activity showed that those presenting with brain injuries burn lactate for energy as their metabolic rate declines. This suggests that perhaps a metabolic therapy through an IV might be important for treating brain injuries. A normal brain uses glucose for energy. “Fuel is dictated by the needs of the tissue, not by what we think it needs,” Hovda said. “TBI victims tend to come in hyperglycemic, so doctors tend to keep insulin levels low. We may need to look at it differently.” Both researchers present potentially valuable detection and treatment options for patients with a traumatic brain injury.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dr. Richard Dutton is head of the trauma anesthesiology at the R. Adams Cowley Trauma Center at the University of Maryland and sees around 4000 people a year who are suspected of having a brain injury. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of tools out there to determine a definite yes or no. Most times a diagnosis relies on a CT scan or an MRI, but even with those it is hard to immediately tell for sure. In an effort to produce a more reliable and definitive answer to the brain trauma question, Dutton and a team of engineers decided to see if they could “listen” for a traumatic brain injury. To determine the differences in a healthy brain compared to an injured one they used a headband with sensors to pick up the sound transmitted through the brain with sonar and analyzed the data on a computer. “We’d ‘ping’ them with sonar and then listen,” Dutton said. The data didn’t reveal much, but when they stopped pinging they noticed a regular sonar pattern and found there were “listening” to the normal flow of the brain. Using their now dubbed “Brain Acoustic Monitor” they decided to “listen” to the brains of 30 patients who all had severe TBI. The 15 who had normal signals five days after injury got better, while the 15 who were still abnormal did not improve.

The next step was to try and detect mild TBI so Dutton and the engineers used their Brain Acoustic Monitor on suspected patients of mild TBI. What they found was turbulent blood flow, expressed as irregular bandwidths, on their new device. “You hit your head, your BAM becomes abnormal,” Dutton said. “We think we may have an objective marker for brain injury. This is pretty exciting stuff.” The BAM is portable, thus could be extremely useful for medics in the war zone. Information gained from BAM comes from two sensors placed on the forehead, which is then processed with a laptop or a BlackBerry. They’re working on making it even more medic-friendly by creating a simple “red means no-go, green means go” system to determine whether a person needs to go see a doctor or is good to go back on patrol. BAM has been tested on more than 400 patients. It’s going through the Food and Drug Administration approval process now.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Richard Long, 15, was training at Arapahoe Ski Basin with the Ontario Alpine Ski team. On November 12th, his father received a call that Richard had been in a horrific ski accident. He lost control, left the trail, went down a 12-foot embankment, and landed, head-first, on a four-foot rock and into a tree. The helmet he was wearing split in half. Doctors at Denver's St. Anthony Central Hospital say the helmet likely saved Richard's life. He spent the next 23 days in a coma suffering from severe brain trauma and internal injuries. Once out of a coma that lasted two weeks, Richard was airlifted to a hospital in Toronto and has since been transferred to, a neuro-rehabilitation center, where he receives speech and occupational therapy. The left-temporal lobe brain injury impedes his ability to speak and process language. He still hopes to compete in the Olympics, but for now he is focused on healing and rehabilitating.

Posted by Kerry N. Jardine at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)