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Tough Decisions To Be Made After A Head Injury

Recent research highlights the difficulties facing victims of head injury and their family members after the accident. Unless a head injury leaves the victim totally unable to participate in health care decisions, he or she may be forced to make complex decisions while in an impaired state. Medical professionals and the families of head injury victims should be aware of the limited capacity to make medical decisions. The situation may leave doctors and loved ones in the unenviable position of...

Early Warning Signs Revealed in Meningitis Outbreak

An investigation into a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak reveals a history of problems at the Massachusetts specialty pharmacy which made the contaminated steroid shots that killed 23 and sickened 300 across the country. The New England Compounding Center (NECC) has a history of problems which stretch back to 1999, about a year after it opened. The pharmacy is now at the center of a growing scandal and a wave of pharmaceutical product liability lawsuits. Recently publicized federal investigation records reveal...

Recall of sterile compounded products impacts Illinois residents

A Massachusetts-based pharmacy is recalling all of its products manufactured in 2013. Pallimed Solutions, Inc., doing business as Pallimed Pharmacy, announced the recall after state inspectors found particles floating in vials of the pharmacy's compounded products. Federal health officials warn that the particulates (filaments) can lead to blood vessel damage, induce emboli, and cause other negative reactions such as allergic attacks or serious tissue responses. The pharmacy's products come in glass vials have many uses including treating erectile dysfunction, vitamin...

Superabsorbent Toy Product Investigation

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently launched an investigation into toys made with superabsorbent polymers which can serious child injuries when swallowed. The toys are often marble-like objects which expand to many times their original size after being placed in water. The CPSC and Consumer Reports are investigating the safety of these materials as several countries around the world have started banning toys made with the expanding superabsorbent polymers. Most of the overseas bans follow high-profile child deaths or emergency...

Death Of Cook County Lotto Winner A Mystery

he wrongful death of an Illinois man is making national headlines today after the Cook County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. The 46-year-old man won $1 million in the Illinois lottery's "$3 million Cash Jackpot!" game but then died suddenly a few weeks later. The man reportedly woke up one evening screaming after having dinner and going to bed. His family took him to a local hospital where he died. The hospital officials who examined the Illinois lotto...

Johnson & Johnson President Testifies at Chicago DePuy Trial

In our last post we discussed a recent $8.3 million verdict awarded to a retired prison guard who received a defective hip implant manufactured by J&J's DePuy orthopedic subsidiary. The jury found that DePuy's all-metal ASR hip implant was defectively designed and caused the plaintiff substantial amounts of pain and suffering. The second of thousands of DePuy cases is going through trial in Chicago. J&J president Andrew Ekdahl testified yesterday that the company recalled 93,000 hip implants in late August...

Feds Fine Naperville Concrete Manufacturer

A Naperville concrete manufacturer was recently cited after a serious workplace accident that nearly killed a worker at its facility. U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced $70,000 in proposed fines and penalties against the Dukane Precast Inc. for an incident in which a worker at its facility became engulfed in a sand bin and suffered from serious crushing injuries. Instead of calling emergency services, workers at the facility attempted to rescue the man for over an...

Mega NFL Lawsuit Consists Of More Than 80 Incidents

Recent headlines have highlighted a number of lawsuits being filed against the National Football League (NFL), alleging that the professional sports league knew that head trauma resulting from hits in the game could result in permanent brain injury - and hid that information from its players. The latest headline announced that these lawsuits have been consolidated into a "master complaint" in a Philadelphia federal court last week. The consolidated lawsuit is a compilation of 81 separate previously filed suits. These...

Efforts To Reduce Injuries To Children In Accidents

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has changed its guidelines regarding children and booster seats. In addition, it announced the successful development of a new, child sized crash test dummy that can hopefully be used to reduce child injuries through a greater understanding of children and car accidents. The latest developments are just a few of the efforts undertaken by the NHTSA to improve transportation safety in the United States. Booster seats are an important safety feature for children. They...