Everyone makes mistakes -- even hospitals
Everyone has heard the clichés: “We’re all human.” “Everyone makes mistakes.” “Nobody’s perfect.”
Those answers are just fine when they come from a waiter explaining an overcooked filet or a child offering a reason behind a less-than-perfect spelling test. But when it’s your doctor?
The fact is that those go-to answers actually are valid, even for doctors … who are human … and therefore are not perfect … and sure enough, make mistakes, many of which fall under the umbrella of medical malpractice. But none of those answers does anything to appease the feelings of patients (and their families) who bear the brunt of errors ranging from the improper administration of medications to sponges (or other items) being left inside a body during surgery to surgery performed on the wrong part of the body.
Continue Reading...
Although the company says it has not received reports of death or serious injuries connected to the use of the catheters, the FDA has classified the recall a Class I. Generally, such a recall is issued when there is “a reasonable probability” that the use of a product can result in serious injuries or death. 3,000 catheters, .jpg)
It seeks to nullify the Supreme Court's ruling in Riegel v. Medtronic. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that patients could not file 
In January, Baxter sent a letter to customers informing them of the failures in the pumps. The warning included an alert that the pump could overheat, resulting in fire and smoke if not properly cleaned. The letter also underscored the importance of proper battery care, pointing out that failure to do so could cause the device to malfunction.
It is not only ReGen Biologics Inc. and the safety, or lack of it, of Menaflex in question here. At the crux of the matter are the reliability and integrity of FDA approval processes. Email correspondence between staff members at the agency indicate that they removed certain lines from emails that could indicate ‘’special treatment for the device maker.’’ FDA critics are concerned about what they call the agency’s tendency to bow to device companies. The fast track process, in particular, has come under intense scrutiny. The process allows scientists to bypass clinical trials only when reviewing devices similar to existing ones. There is no explanation forthcoming about why Menaflex was approved under the fast track process considering it is the only device of its kind in the market. With the FDA behaving more like a corrupt government than the country's premier drug safety agency, it is fair to assume that .jpg)
Patients injured by the drugs are currently helpless in the face of the law. At the time the bill was passed, proponents insisted that it would attract pharmaceutical investment in the state; that theory has since been disproved. Pharmaceutical investments and companies have moved out of Michigan in recent years, taking valuable jobs with them..jpg)
On February 17th, a judge in Wisconsin dismissed a lawsuit filed by a 63-year-old man who needed surgery to remove a Medtronic device after the company warned that the batteries may suffer from a sudden depletion of power causing it to malfunction. Earlier this year, a judge in Minnesota dismissed hundreds of 