Readers of this medical malpractice blog may be familiar with some patient safety initiatives focusing on new programs under the Affordable Care Act. What readers may not realize, however, is that a majority of these and other patient safety improvement programs have been limited to inpatient hospital care.
A vitamin a day may not actually keep the doctor away, but there is benefit to certain preventative practices, such as screening tests. Unfortunately, patients may not realize that they may be at risk for certain conditions, and a doctor’s failure to advise a patient about recommended tests may allow conditions to go undiagnosed — until it is too late. In such cases, an injured patient or surviving loved one may need to talk with a medical malpractice attorney about holding doctors accountable for their potentially negligent care.
On April 17, 2014, the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) issued a News Release in which it discouraged the use of laparoscopic power power morcellation for the removal of the uterus (i.e., a hysterectomy) or the removal of uterine fibroids (i.e., a myomectomy) in women because, according to the FDA’s research, the treatment can cause the spreading of certain cancers. If a woman that has a type of cancer known as a “uterine sarcoma” undergoes laparoscopic power power morcellation, the FDA has determined that the risk of spreading the cancer throughout the patient’s abdomen and pelvis is significantly elevated, and the chances of long-term survival are severely diminished. According to currently-available data, the FDA has determined that approximately 1 in 35 women undergoing a hysterectomy or myomectomy for fibroids have a uterine sarcoma.
New Yorkers frequently ride buses around the city. Using public transportation is convenient. In addition, people may feel more protected in a large bus. However,
Given the advances in Western medicine, readers may assume that the care of pregnant women is fairly standardized, from the early stages of pregnancy through the labor and delivery process.
