Medical Malpractice « Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers

Archive for the ‘ Medical Malpractice ’ Category

Dec

Investigation Looking Into The Care Of Patients At State-Run Hospitals

December 4, 2012

A federal investigation has begun on the care of certain patients at state-run Texas psychiatric hospitals. According to the Houston Chronicle, the investigation stems from the death of a patient under the care of one of the facilities.

The patient was admitted to the Rusk State Hospital on May 14 to receive treatment for a number of psychological disorders, including an eating disorder. Witnesses say the woman was trying to kill herself by starving to death and hospital staff did little, if anything, to ensure she ate and stayed hydrated.

The victim refused most meals and fluids she was given and lost a total of nine pounds within nine days. Sixteen days after arriving at the facility, the woman died. An autopsy showed she died as a result of blood clots in her lungs, but a further examination by federal officials found her condition was brought on from malnutrition.

Typically, policy states patients with eating disorders are not to be admitted to state hospitals without a special plan of treatment. In the case of the victim, these policies were bypassed despite hospital staff being aware of her condition.

The Austin Personal Injury Lawyers with Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers say medical staff failing to follow proper procedures and not recognizing the severity of the patient’s condition could be considered negligence and grounds for a claim of Texas Medical Malpractice.

Mar

Campaign Launched To Educate On The Dangers of Unlicensed Plastic Surgery

March 20, 2012

Cases of women having cosmetic procedures performed by unlicensed individuals have prompted an Austin, Texas, plastic surgeon to educate the public on the dangers of these procedures.

Dr. Jennifer Walden told KVUE News of a recent case in Tyler, Texas where a salon owner injected several women’s breasts and buttocks with an automotive-grade silicone and closed up the injection site with super glue.

Walden added that many women undergo these “underground” procedures because of their price and a lack of awareness of the dangers they pose.

Dr. Walden says women need to focus on the three P’s of cosmetic procedures:

Product—Make sure the product being used is FDA-approved.
Practitioner—Make sure the person performing the procedure is properly educated and licensed and certified.
Place—Only have procedures done at medical facilities.

Dr. Walden stated that your best defense against a botched medical procedure is to ask questions and become informed before going under the knife.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently launched a campaign called The Safety and Awareness Campaign Against Deceptive Practices to improve safety and public awareness. The campaign discusses the dangers of surgery by unqualified practitioners, as well as the difference between being licensed to practice cosmetic surgery and being certified to practice it.

The Texas Medical Malpractice Lawyers with Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers encourage those who are considering plastic surgery to fully educate themselves before going under the knife.

Oct

Cooler Weather = Time For Immunizations

October 18, 2011

With Cooler weather around the corner, many citizens are beginning to protect themselves from winter’s illnesses with flu shots. Another important immunization to receive often falls to the way side though, costing hundreds of children and the elderly their lives every year.

That shot is a pneumonia immunization. KVUE News reports that children are urged to receive the shot because it can help ward off deadly bacteria that can cause meningitis, a disease that can lead to blindness, deafness, and death. On the other hand the elderly are encouraged to be immunized because of weaker immune systems.

Until recently, only this demographic was asked to be immunized for their higher risk of health complications associated with pneumonia, but now, researchers are also encouraging those with asthma between the ages of 19 and 65 to also be immunized as they run a higher risk of pneumonia bacteria passing from the lungs to the blood stream.

Researchers have discovered that these immunizations in recent years have lead to fewer ear infections in children and lowered the number of overall infections in adults over the years.

Dr. Bill Howland with the Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin says normally the shot is only needed one time, but a booster shot later in life may be needed.

The Texas Medical Malpractice Attorneys with Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers encourage those individual in these age groups to go get immunized. The decision may keep you healthy through the winter, but more importantly, may save your life.

May

Dallas Hospital Under Investigation Following Two Patient Deaths

May 31, 2011

A Dallas, Texas, hospital is being investigated following the deaths of two patients who were admitted to the psychiatric ward of the facility. The nonprofit, Chicago-based Joint Commission, the nation’s leading authority on patient safety in hospitals, is heading up the inquiry against Parkland Memorial Hospital.

The commission, according to the Dallas Morning News, is looking into the circumstances that caused the death of a psychiatric patient locked in solitary confinement, and another psychiatric patient who fled from the hospital and was hit by a car in traffic.

The commission just closed a case with Parkland where a third psychiatric patient died of a heart attack shortly after being released with no medical examination in February 2010.

A case of a botched surgery leading to an amputation is also under an open investigation with the commission.

Dr. Al Herzog a Connecticut psychiatrist and former chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s patient safety committee feels steps should be taken to ensure that a patient’s wellbeing is monitored closely. He was quoted as saying, “To have three deaths in that time frame, you want to take a close look and make sure you’re taking really good measures to protect patients.”

Parkland Memorial spokespeople declined comment siting patient confidentiality rules.

Did the hospital fail to provide proper monitoring of patients in their care?

The Texas medical malpractice and wrongful death attorneys with Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers handle cases like these on a regular basis. Get a free consultation here.

Jan

Mother’s death after giving birth leads to Texas medical malpractice case

January 20, 2011

Though the circumstances around giving birth are supposed to be joyous, one family has been dealing with the death of a woman four days after giving birth, and that death has led to the development of a Texas medical malpractice case.

According to the Southeast Texas Record, a woman who died four days after giving birth to a child is the subject of a Texas medical malpractice case. The woman was sent home following the birth of her child but returned to the hospital with pain and bleeding.

Now, the family of the woman, including her parents, husband, and children, are suing the hospital because they believe force was used in delivering the baby, which led to the complications the woman suffered following the incident prompting the Texas medical malpractice suit.

‘Tort Reform’ Has Failed to Bring Doctors to Rural Texas

In 2003, insurance companies and medical interest groups spent millions upon millions of dollars strongly urging voters to pass Proposition 12, a constitutional amendment that limits the money patients or their survivors get in medical malpractice lawsuits.

These groups claimed that “frivolous” lawsuits were the cause of insurance rates skyrocketing, which resulting in many Texas doctors fleeing the state. The tort reform campaigned claimed that passing Proposition 12 would bring doctors in to Texas, as they would no longer have to fear high premiums for Texas medical malpractice insurance.

It turns out, the campaign didn’t deliver on its promise.

Click here to read more
http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2607

Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers | Personal Injury Blog