April 14th, 2012
Modern medical technology and testing can inform expectant parents of debilitating problems affecting a pregnancy. Prenatal testing allows parents to plan for the birth of a child afflicted with a disease or disorder or to make the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy. When medical personnel mishandle the procedure or misinterpret the results, parents are left without the vital information needed to make the best decisions for their lives and their families.
A Difficult Decision
This was the unfortunate case for a Portland, Oregon couple, Ariel and Deborah Levy. The couple sued Legacy Health System in Multnomah County Circuit Court, winning $29 million to help them pay for the extraordinary costs of raising a child with Down syndrome – a child they would have decided not to have, had they known about the developing baby’s condition.
Medical professionals regularly offer assurances that a pregnancy is normal through administering and interpreting prenatal tests. Relying upon these assurances when the test was botched exposes a family to life-shattering negative consequences. Because of the considerable expense of providing specialized care for the child, families can face financial ruin. Local news website OregonLive.com reported the Levy’s story, noting that 89 percent of pregnant women choose to terminate their pregnancy upon learning that their child would be born with Down syndrome.
One Tragedy Becomes Two
CBS.com reported on a second case with even more tragic consequences. Read the rest of this entry »
April 11th, 2012
We appreciate trees for their beauty, fruits and the shade they provide, as well as their place in the natural cycle, creating oxygen for us to breathe. One rarely considers the possibility of a tree becoming a killer. Every year, trees fall from wind and accidental collisions, collapse from internal structural issues or massive rains. On occasion, people lose their lives because they are nearby when a tree falls. 
Unseen and Unavoidable?
Sometimes, simply driving under a canopy of boulevard trees can prove deadly. Such was the case in September 2011 in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, CA. Eucalyptus trees lining the streets contained hidden internal rot and disease, making them unstable and prone to collapse. A 29-year-old woman lost her life when one of those trees fell on her passing car.
Driver Haeyoon Miller died at the scene of blunt force injuries. Her parents claim the cities knew the trees could experience structural failure because other trees had collapsed in the past. Complicating the case is the cities’ decision to remove the remaining eucalyptus trees in the area following Miller’s death. The family alleges this action may have destroyed evidence that supports their case. They filed suit against the cities March 14, 2012, according to the Orange County Register News.
Toddler Tragedy
In another tragic incident, a huge maple tree fell on a family’s truck, trapping them inside for hours and killing their two-year-old son. Read the rest of this entry »
April 5th, 2012
Mothers may not realize the risk they pose to their children when they choose epidurals. According to a recent American Academy of Pediatrics Journal study, the risk of infant injury increases during delivery as the mother’s body temperature rises. Such a rise in temperature is a common side effect of epidural injections. Other epidural side effects can cause direct harm to newborns.
In the Journal’s study, a total of 2,784 women’s medical records were reviewed. Candidates in the study all showed healthy, low-risk pregnancies, and were 37 weeks along or more. Researchers divided the women into two test groups: those who chose epidurals, and those who did not. In 19.2% of cases, mothers receiving epidurals showed temperatures exceeding 100.4° during delivery. The rate for those who chose not to receive an epidural was only 2.4%.
Fever Side Effects
The effects of increased maternal temperature varied for their babies. Read the rest of this entry »
March 29th, 2012
Everyone becomes physically weaker with age and some people lose the mental abilities they once had.
In addition, medical and behavioral issues leave aging loved ones vulnerable. Often a family has no choice but to place their loved one in a nursing home, where he or she can receive much-needed professional care. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is on the rise.
A lesser known form of nursing home abuse takes place when poorly trained or negligent staff members give patients the wrong type or wrong dose of medication. In some cases, doctors accidentally or purposefully prescribe medication developed to treat symptoms or conditions other than those that they are trying to control. In extreme cases, doctors use medication to control difficult or violent patients that suffer from dementia by using a “chemical straitjacket,” thereby using unneeded medicine to keep patients obedient and easier to control.
How common is the misuse of medication in nursing homes?
A report from the office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services published in May 2011, Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents, found that: Read the rest of this entry »
March 27th, 2012
Motor skills and coordination determine a person’s ability to engage in common daily behaviors such as walking, feeding themselves and even communicating. People face motor coordination disabilities from many causes, including genetic issues, disease or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Damage to motor neurons decreases the ability to move muscles with precision, making it difficult to travel from one place to the next, whether walking, driving or using public transportation. Some people are confined to wheelchairs and must navigate stairs, sidewalks and steps, creating major obstacles to the mobility that most take for granted.
Limited Access Becomes Disabling
While those with motor coordination problems can overcome the disability through adaptation, they cannot do it alone. Municipalities must make accommodations that allow these patients to navigate the world. When governments and businesses fail to offer handicap access, they become the cause of the disability. It only takes a few small changes to make areas accessible to everyone, handicapped and able bodied alike.
Anyone taking a train will soon realize that not all of them have elevators, or have doors wide enough to permit a wheelchair to enter. Read the rest of this entry »
