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Researchers from the anesthesiology department of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) observed 277 random procedures for seven months there and found that half of all surgeries involved some kind of medication error or unintended drug side effects. Of these errors, more than one-third resulted in harm the patient. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine identified…

Placenta accreta is a potentially life-threatening medical condition that occurs during pregnancy. Instead of the placenta attaching just to the wall of the uterus, the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine lining and becomes firmly attached. Typically the placenta detaches from the uterine wall after childbirth, but with the placenta firmly attached, a…

Each year, 1.7 million people in the U.S. fall victim to biofilm-related infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 100,000 of the 1.7 million infected die annually. With so many people suffering from infections with bacterial or fungal biofilms, this problem has emerged as a major public heath concern…

The London High Courts recently awarded a $2.5 million compensation package to an 11-year-old boy based on birth injury malpractice allegations. In 2004, the boy’s mother endured a difficult and prolonged labor, leaving her son’s brain to be starved of oxygen. This caused irreversible neurological damage that affected his mobility, speech and cognitive development….

When you visit an emergency room, you have the right to expect the same high standard of care that you would expect from any doctor or healthcare professional. You expect that the proper tests and imaging will be ordered, the proper medications administered, and the correct diagnosis made. Unfortunately, there is much discrepancy among…

Modern healthcare employs many types of invasive devices and procedures to treat patients and to help them recover. But things don’t always go as planned, and these devices and procedures can lead to infections. These healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) may include central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Infections may also…

Medical Malpractice is among the top three leading causes of death in the U.S. – just after heart disease and cancer. Each year, an estimated 440,000 people lose their life from preventable medical mistakes. That’s a pretty frightening statistic that makes widespread knowledge of medical malpractice essential to patient safety. Let’s start with the…

Anticipating the birth of a child is a very exciting time, but it can also be nerve-racking for parents. You want to ensure the safety of your child, but a lot of things can go wrong. Many parents often worry about health complications that could arise with their newborn, like birth defects or birth injuries; however…

We recently told you about a surgical “black box” that could help reduce surgical errors – that is, if doctors and hospitals decide to implement it. But one state lawmaker isn’t willing to wait for hospitals to make the decision. She wants patients to be able to decide. Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) introduced a…

Researchers in Canada are working on a surgical “black box” – like the ones placed in airplanes – that would record surgeons’ movements and identify surgical errors. Inside the operating room, video cameras would track every movement while a small computer-like device analyzes the recordings, identifies mistakes, and provides instant feedback to surgeons as…