Posted on August 14, 2014 in Uncategorized

A new report by AARP exposes the overuse of antipsychotic and other dangerous medications to nursing home patients. According to nursing home statistics from the University of California, one in five nursing home patients are given antipsychotic drugs that are unnecessary. These drugs are also often extremely dangerous, especially for elderly patients.

A major issue with many nursing homes is they are understaffed. There should be one CNA to every seven patients, but the average nursing home ratio is one CNA for every 15 patients. There are also very few physicians on staff at nursing homes.

Antipsychotic drugs are given to patients as a “chemical restraint” to keep patients who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other conditions sedated and quiet. Many drug manufacturers marketed these drugs to nursing homes to be used in this manner. Last year, several drug companies were fined more than $2.2 billion for touting the use of antipsychotics to nursing homes, even though the companies knew the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not approved their use in elderly patients.

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 Posted on August 11, 2014 in Uncategorized

The popularity of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) has increased over the years. In 2013, there were 228,305 new ATVs sold to consumers. But many question the safety of ATVs. According to data collected from ATV accidents in 2011 by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the number of adult fatalities has slightly declined, but the number of children who are injured has increased.

Statistics in the CPSC study highlighting the dangers of ATVs included:

• There were 107,500 people who received injuries in an ATV accident which were serious enough that they required treatment in an emergency room.
• There were 57 children killed in ATV accidents in 2011. This accounted for almost 20 percent of the total amount of fatalities. Forty-seven percent of children killed were under 12 years of age.
• There were 29,000 children under the age of 16 who received serious injuries in ATV accidents.

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 Posted on August 05, 2014 in Uncategorized

Three years ago, in July of 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) placed restrictions on the number of shift hours that trainee surgeons (interns) could work. The reason behind the move was because of pressure received from both the government and the public over the amount of preventable medical errors that were occurring because interns were sleep deprived from the long hours they were forced to work. ACGME placed a 16 hour shift limit for first year residents. More senior residents are allowed to work up to 28 hours per shift. This replaced the prior restrictions, which had been in place since 2003, which allowed doctors in training to work up to 80 hours per week. However, although interns may be getting more sleep, there is now concern that they are not getting enough experience because of shorter amount of time they are spending treating patients. According to a new study published in JAMA Surgery, surgeon interns actually participated in surgeries 26 percent less that surgeon interns did four years ago. Researchers analyzed the cases of 52 interns who were working under the new restrictions. They also analyzed cases of 197 interns from the years 2007 through 2010, before the new restrictions were in place. The average number of operations each of the 52 interns participated in was 66. The average number of operations each of the 197 interns participated in was 89. There were also decreases in the number of cases where the interns were assisting more experienced surgeons, as well as the number of major cases where the intern was the lead surgeon. Surgeons in training are required to participate in 750 major cases by the end of their fifth residential year. In a recent presentation at the annual meeting of the American Surgical Association, a professor from the Indiana University School of Medicine expressed the concerns that many in the medical community have with the new restrictions. Dr. Samer Matter, who also researches surgical training, said that 20 percent of fellowship program directors, who administrate surgical residency programs, feel that new surgeons coming out of these programs are not ready to operate. If you have received injuries as a result of a surgical error, contact a New Braunfels personal injury attorney to find out what civil action you may be able to file in order to receive compensation for pain and loss.

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 Posted on July 31, 2014 in Uncategorized

A recent study concluded that when a parent has been injured, their child may be at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was conducted by researchers from University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, who examined 175 parents and their school-aged children who were patients at a Seattle trauma center.

The primary cause of accidents bringing parents and children to the hospital was motor vehicle accidents. This was followed by falls and burns.

The researchers looked at four different groups:

• Instances where both the parent and the child were injured at the same event
• Instances where only the child was injured in an event
• Instances where only the parent was injured at an event
• Neither parent nor child had received any significant injuries (per study’s criteria)

The study held follow-up visits with participants five months after the initial hospital visits and again at 12 months.

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 Posted on July 29, 2014 in Uncategorized

A new study reveals that age may play a factor for people who receive spinal cord injuries in car accidents. Research conducted by doctors from Ohio State University indicates that the older someone is when they are injured, the more serious the potential damage may be to the spinal cord.

According to lead researcher Jonathan Godbout, a neuroscience professor at the school, the issue may be due to the way cells from the immune system are stimulated after the person is injured.

The study was done on mice. When younger mice received spinal cord injuries, specific cells from the brain and spinal cord activated a receptor, known as IL-4. This receptor acts as a messenger to the central nervous system to produce inflammation around the spinal cord, acting as a cushion.

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 Posted on July 23, 2014 in Uncategorized

Subaru is the latest automobile manufacturer to issue recalls on vehicles that could potentially have defective airbags. The automaker has issued a recall for 8,557 vehicles which used airbags manufactured by Takata Corp. of Japan. The models Subaru is recalling include 2003 and 2004 Outback wagons, Legacy and Baja crossovers, as well as 2004 Imprez.

In the past, Takata said the propellant which is in the inflator of the defective airbags was not correctly prepared and is too powerful for the airbag to handle. In a crash, the inflator could explode, spraying shards of metal from the casing. However, recently the company admitted that the chemicals used in the propellant, which is highly explosive, were improperly stored and handled at its plant in Mexico

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 Posted on July 18, 2014 in Uncategorized

When we place our loved ones in nursing home, there should be piece of mind knowing that they are in a safe place and are being well taken care of. But every day, we hear horror stories about the horrendous abuse our senior citizens suffer in the care of nursing homes. Nursing home abuse can be in the form of physical, sexual or verbal abuse.

A new study commissioned by the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee found that one on three nursing home patients suffer abuse at the hands of the very people who are in charge of taking care of them.

Almost one-third of this country’s nursing homes – 5,283 – were cited for 9,000 incidents of abuse in just a two year period. That number could be underestimated, since other studies have shown that only 1 in 14 elderly people tell someone that they are being abused.

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 Posted on July 15, 2014 in Uncategorized

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a person is either hurt or killed in a vehicle crash caused by a drunk driver in the state of Texas every 20 minutes.

In 2011 there were 1,216 people killed on Texas roads in crashes caused by drunk drivers. In 2012, there were 1,296 fatalities. This was 38 percent of all traffic deaths for the year. Texas consistently leads the country in alcohol related crash fatalities every year.

Other statistics include the following:

• Over 70 percent of those drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of over .15;
• More than half of drunk drivers responsible for these deadly crashes were repeat offenders. In Texas, a person is classified as a repeat offender if they have been convicted more than once, in a seven year period, of driving under the influence;

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 Posted on July 11, 2014 in Uncategorized

There are many reasons car accidents occur every single day–between distracted drivers, roadside debris, and even unavoidable situations, you certainly have enough to pay attention to while behind the wheel without having to worry about your vehicle being the cause. If you or a loved one owns a car manufactured by General Motors, unfortunately this is a concern you must have.

It is no secret that GM has been having trouble with recalls on their new and used vehicles, and many are not aware of how dangerous this can be. In fact, nearly every model manufactured by General Motors has now been impacted by some kind of serious safety recall.

The following information certainly sheds light on the wide impact of these recalls, and what you need to know as a consumer regarding your legal rights and compensation:

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 Posted on July 02, 2014 in Uncategorized

According to a report from the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (ISSA), there are more than one million restaurant customers who sustain injuries from slip and fall accidents every year. They also report that 3 million restaurant employees are injured every year in slip and fall incidents. These injuries are costing the restaurant industry over $2 billion annually. Other studies the group cites in their report indicate that the number of combined injuries is growing by at least 10 percent each year.

The owners of these businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their establishments are safe for visitors. Regular inspections of the entire location should be done to ensure there are no hazards that could cause patrons or employees to slip and fall.

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