Spartanburg Personal Injury Lawyer - Medical Malpractice

Deaths Reported in Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation of Tumors

Courtney Mills — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:50:40 GMT

The FDA made a public announcement recently about the association between radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of lung tumors and patient deaths. The FDA has received several reports of patient deaths linked to lung tumor ablation with RFA devices. According to the government agency, patient selection, follow-up care, and technical use of these devices may have contributed to patient deaths.

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure in which tumors are heated with highly focused energy. RFA is ideal for local control of some cancers. RFA can also be used to heat nerve tissue to reduce arthritis pain and chronic back pain. Needles must be inserted at the locus of the pain or tumor before the radiofrequency ablation takes place.

The FDA has not cleared RFA devices for anything more than general ablation. The devices may not be legally marketed to treat lung tumors, because their clinical efficacy in the treatment of such tumors has not yet been fully established by the agency.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Four Transplant Recipients Contract H.I.V. in Chicago

Courtney Mills — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:26:13 GMT

Four patients in Chicago tested positive for H.I.V. after receiving organs from an H.I.V. - infected organ donor. Two patients were infected at the University of Chicago Medical Center, one at Northwestern University Medical Center, and one transplant patient was infected at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The story was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. The transplant recipients all received organs from the same infected donor. It is the first time in at least ten years that there has been a case of H.I.V. as a result of an organ transplant. The transplant recipients were infected with hepatitis C at the same time they were infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.

These cases are important because they may lead to a serious reevaluation of viral testing procedures for organ donors. Most donor tests are able to detect the progression of the H.I.V. virus. Organ donor surgery is almost always time-sensitive, however, so doctors have not used more thorough testing methods.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Teen Dead After Wisdom Teeth Removed

Jenny Albano — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:35:07 GMT

A teen attended a dental surgeon in Waterloo, Ontario last week to get his wisdom teeth removed, but instead he died.

After Leejay Levene was put under general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist noticed that he was struggling for air. After the anesthesiologist attempted to resuscitate Leejay, 911 was called.

Paramedics and doctors tried everything to try and keep the boy alive, but the next day the 18 year old died.

The Waterloo Region coroner is now trying to determine why the teen died. This accident should not have happened since Leejay seemed to be in good health, and was undergoing a normal dental procedure.

Dr. Timothy Wallace, the surgeon who was to perform Levene's surgery last week, has practiced dentistry for 32 years and declined to discuss what went wrong during the surgery. He would only say that the tragedy occurred when the boy began having trouble breathing.

For more information on this subject, lease refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jenny Albano

Family Suing U.S. for Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Christina Cole — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 22:06:53 GMT

In November 2004, Patricia, a former sergeant, went to Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon for simple hernia surgery. Only, when the surgeon went in to operate, he punctured her liver.

The doctor's failure to run pre-operative tests caused her to lose half of her body's blood supply, causing her to be in a coma for the next four months.

"It's basically a mistake that should have never been made," said Tabitha, her daughter, who was 15 years old at the time. From there, she watched her mother's health slowly decline.

"She was depressed, and she didn't want to get out, didn't want to go anywhere. "She just wanted to stay at home."

In September 2005, the physical and emotional pain was too much for her bare and she doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire. Her husband believes that what happened to his wife in Fort Gordon attributed to her taking her own life.

Tuesday, a multimillion dollar lawsuit claiming wrongful death and medical malpractice was filed. Attorneys are waiting on a response from the U.S. government.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole