Header
Published on:

By

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of women dying because of pregnancy and childbirth is going up. More than 25 years ago (1987), there were 7.2 deaths of mothers per 100,000 live births; in 2011, that number more than doubled to 17.8 deaths per 100,000 births.

According to experts reporting on this subject, there is not any one factor to explain the increase, but a number of issues, including obesity related complications, record-keeping changes, age and delayed childbearing, health disparities, and an increase in the number of cesarean section births. One of the causes not mentioned, however, is medical malpractice.

Recently, a family of a 32-year-old woman who died from complications during pregnancy while being treated at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, filed a lawsuit against the hospital for negligence. According to the complaint, the hospital staff missed signs of pre-eclampsia – a potentially fatal complication of pregnancy – and then failed to timely treat it. The complaint further alleges that after the woman was unresponsive for over 10 hours and had given birth by cesarean section, staff realized she had suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and would not recover.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, so a recent report published in JAMA Pediatrics, revealing that pregnant woman with elevated blood sugar levels are more likely to have babies with congenital cardiovascular defects, even if their blood sugar is below the cut off for diabetes, could not come at a more appropriate time.

The study was conducted over four years out of the Stanford University Medical Center, where researchers examined blood samples taken from 277 California women during their second-trimester of pregnancy. Out of the 277 women, 180 were carrying infants without congenital heart disease, and the others had infants affected by one of two serious heart defects. Specifically, 55 had tetralogy of fallot, where a baby is getting too little oxygen, and 42 had dextrotransposition of the great arteries, where the position of the two main arteries leading form the hart are swamped, preventing oxygenated blood from the lungs to circulate throughout the body.

The women’s levels of glucose and insulin were measured and used to test the association between those levels and the odds of having a baby with a heart defect. The results revealed that women who had fetuses with tetralogy of fallot had higher average blood glucose levels, but there was no significant finding in the relationship between dextrotranspostition of the great arteries and glucose levels.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to a recent lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Tennessee, defendant health care providers failed to properly handle the delivery of the minor plaintiff, resulting in extended fetal oxygen deprivation and brain injury at birth. Specifically, the complaint alleges that during the mother’s labor and delivery, medical personnel failed recognize and respond to clear signs of declining fetal response, indicating the need for an emergency C-section.

The mother plaintiff gave birth to her first child via Cesarean section, and shortly thereafter she became pregnant again. According to the lawsuit, despite her risk factors, including short stature; previously unsuccessful attempt at vaginal birth; and a brief time between the two pregnancies; the mother plaintiff was advised that she was a good candidate for a vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC).

The mother plaintiff went into labor early, and within the first half hour the EFM strip indicated minimal variability and loss of accelerations (two signs of fetal compromise). According to the lawsuit, rather than being admitted to the Labor & Delivery ward, the fetal monitoring was stopped and the mother plaintiff was advised to walk around the hospital for an hour or so. About two hours later, she was admitted whereupon labor progression was slow and the fetal monitoring continued to show repetitive late decelerations. After several hours, a C-section delivery was ordered.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to a recent study published in The Lancet, there needs to be a revision of current clinical guidelines for patients who are already at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Specifically, the study revealed that several major clinical guidelines on managing high blood pressure have actually raised blood pressure targets from 130/85mmHg to 140/90mmHg for high-risk patients.

Instead, treating blood pressure to a lower level than the currently recommended targets (which, until now, have been widely regarded as acceptable), will result in better health outcomes for patients. Indeed, a more intensive management of high blood pressure achieved lower systolic blood pressure and reduced the risk of heart attack by nearly 14% and stroke by roughly a quarter.

High blood pressure is commonly known as the “silent killer” – and poor management can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Bottar Law, PLLC has decades of experience investigating and pursuing claims for cardiovascular deaths. If you have questions about care that you, or a loved one received, do not hesitate to contact us.

Published on:

By

A jury in New Haven Connecticut recently awarded a 58-year-old man $4.2 million for an injury incurred during a surgical procedure that was the result of a doctor’s misdiagnosis.

In December 2008, plaintiff visited the doctor for treatment of a swollen lymph node on the side of his neck. According to the suit, the doctor misdiagnosed what was really a mild Bartonellosis bacterial infection, also known as “cat scratch disease,” and instead recommended surgery to remove the lymph node. Then, during the procedure, the doctor damaged plaintiff’s spinal accessory nerve, causing permanent catastrophic injuries to plaintiff’s left shoulder.

Besides misdiagnosing plaintiff’s case entirely, the surgeon botched the surgery. According to the suit, plaintiff now has nerve palsy, permanent disfigurement of his left shoulder, an inability to extend that arm or raise it above his head, permanent numbness and pain, and he can no longer work at his job without considerable difficulty.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to a recent study, medication errors or adverse drug events occurred in about half of all surgeries done at one of the nation’s most preeminent hospitals.  Specifically, over the course of an eight-month period in 2013-2014, researchers observed randomly selected operations at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital (“MGH”), and documented every drug given immediately before, during, and after the surgery.

“We knew that medication errors were common,” said Syracuse medical malpractice attorney Michael A. Bottar, “but the results of the study were startling.” During 124 of the 277 observed operations (i.e., 45%), researchers noted at least one medication error or drug-related incident that harmed a patient.  More than one-third of the observed errors injured patients, including three life-threatening mistakes.  Two of the life-threatening mistakes were caught by the operating room staff and one was intercepted by researchers.

The most frequently observed errors were:

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to a study published this week in the Journal of Pediatrics titled “Prescription Opioid Epidemic and Infant Outcomes,” the use of prescription narcotic painkillers during pregnancy increases the risk that a baby will be born small or early, as well as the risk of drug withdrawal known as neonatal abstinence syndrome.

The study included the analysis of medical records for more than 112,000 women in the Tennessee Medicaid program between 2009 and 2011. Of those women, approximately 28% filled a prescription for at least one narcotic painkiller — mostly short acting medications such as hydrocodone or oxycodone.  According to the authors, prescription narcotic painkillers are “commonly prescribed in pregnancy.”

Babies born small or early are at greater risk for labor and delivery complications, as well as neonatal complications, including:

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to a study published in the journal Rheumatology titled “Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Venous Thromboembolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” there is an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs include drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and celecoxib (Celebrex).

VTE is a disease that includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is the third most common cardiovascular illness, after coronary syndrome and stroke, and can result in permanent disability or death if untimely diagnosed by a healthcare provider.

Data from the Ungprasert study, which compared NSAID users to non-users, provides that NSAID users demonstrated a 1.80-fold increase in risk for VTE. Until now, evidence supporting a between between NSAIDs and VTW was scant. The study has broad public health implications given the prevalence of NSAID use in the general population. As the report warns physicians to be aware of the association between VTE and NSAIDs, especially in patients already at a higher risk of VTE, this report may influence the standard of care with regard to NSAID use in various patients.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

World Cerebral Palsy Day is a global innovation project created to improve quality of life for people living with cerebral families, and their families. The project is led by a group of non-profit cerebral palsy charities, and supported by organizations in over 45 countries.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements, hearing, vision and cognition. It is the most common physical disability in childhood. The majority of children with cerebral palsy were born with it, although the diagnosis may not be made until a child reaches three years of age. According to en.worldcpday.org, at least two thirds of children with cerebral palsy will have movement difficulties affecting one or both arms, 1 in 4 children with cerebral palsy cannot talk, 1 in 3 cannot walk, 1 in 2 have an intellectual disability, and 1 in 4 have epilepsy. In the most severe cases, children born with cerebral palsy will live their lives dependent upon others for every aspect of daily living.

Causes of cerebral palsy include hypoxia or ischemia during childbirth, genetic disorders, stroke, infection and trauma. Where cerebral palsy is caused by a preventable medical error during labor and delivery, the child and his or her family may have a claim for medical malpractice.
Continue reading →

Published on:

By

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), between October of 2008 and June of 2010, more than 11,000 Medicare-eligible patients received care and treatment at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York.

During that time period, at least two patients experienced a 100% preventable surgical complication known as a gossypiboma or textiloma, which is when an object like a sponge, pad, or gauze are accidentally left inside a patient after the incision is closed. For this adverse incident category, Crouse’s rate per discharge of 0.609 was more than six times the national rate per discharge of 0.09.

“CMS’ report is significant because it lifts the veil of secrecy surrounding medical mistakes at area hospitals,” said Syracuse medical malpractice lawyer Michael A. Bottar, of Bottar Law, LLC. “These statistics do not include errors affecting non-Medicare-eligible patients.”

Contact Information
Syracuse Office
120 Madison St #1300
Syracuse, NY 13202
Toll Free: (833) 268-8277
Main: (315) 422-3466
Fax: (315) 422-4621
Satellite Office: Albany*
90 State St
Albany, NY 12207
Toll Free: (833) 268-8277
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
* By appointment only

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2014 – 2024, Bottar Law, PLLC
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design