The Duty to Monitor for Cardiac or Respiratory Arrest
A sudden cardiac or respiratory arrest is often unanticipated and devastating. For many who suffer these events while at home, work, or elsewhere, by the
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Doctors and Nurses Must Look for Signs of Problems and Prevent Harm to Patients
A doctor may rule out the most immediately life threatening condition, stabilize a patient, and reach a diagnosis and plan for a patient on day
Delayed Diagnosis of Compartment Syndrome
Thousands of people every day suffer injury to part of their leg or forearm. Broken bones, burns, and penetrating trauma are daily occurrences and common
Retained Surgical Items Often the Result of Medical Malpractice
Shockingly, the incidence of surgical items mistakenly left inside patients has remained steady over the years. UpToDate estimates that retained surgical items occur in 1 in every 5500 to 18,760 inpatient operations, but may be as high as 1 of every 1000 to 1500 abdominal cavity operations, and even more common during emergency surgery. When a surgical instrument or sponge is mistakenly left inside a patient after surgery, medical malpractice is inevitably the cause.
Patient Suffered Permanent Nerve Damage Due To Botched Saphenous Vein Harvest
This case involves a gentleman in his 60s who suffered needless injury due to medical negligence during his preparation for a coronary bypass surgery (CABG). In preparation, the doctors planned to perform an endoscopic vein harvest of the patient’s saphenous vein. The patient was placed under general anesthesia, and a physician’s assistant endoscopically attempted to remove the necessary saphenous vein from the patient’s leg. Due to lack of proper supervision and experience, the PA mistakenly removed a large portion of the patient’s saphenous nerve instead of the vein, causing permanent and avoidable nerve injury in his leg as a result of the physician’s assistant failing to follow the standard procedure for vein harvesting.
Central Line Infections – Still Rampant, but Preventable
Hospitals can easily prevent patients from contracting an infection that still affects 45,000 to 90,000 people per year. This infection is from a common device used to administer medicine and fluids called a central venous catheter (CVC), also known as a central line.This device is a tube that leads straight to the patient’s heart, which allows doctors to administer medicine to their patients quickly.
Maternal Deaths Due To Sepsis
Maternal deaths from pregnancy related to sepsis (blood infection) occur at an unacceptably high rate. Deaths due to maternal sepsis increased in the United States from 1998 to 2008.
Three UPMC Patients Died From Fungal Infections Following Transplant Surgery
Our attorneys are investigating the circumstances that led up to a man contracting a fungal infection following lung transplant surgery at UPMC.
Negligent Resuscitation of a Newborn
An infant’s entrance into the world is a challenging time. Going from intrauterine to extrauterine life results in many physiological changes; the lungs take over
Pittsburgh Dentist Uses Paper Clips for Pittsburgh Patients Root Canals
Pittsburgh dentist Samuel Pollina, was recently featured in an unflattering investigative report by WTAE’s Paul Van Osdol titled, “Pittsburgh dentist admits using paper clips for root canals.”
Infections in the Newborn
During and after birth, infants are at risk of contracting serious infections. Many neonatal infections can lead to devastating consequences if not detected and treated
Delayed Diagnosis of Newborn Heart Defects – Murmurs Matter
In this video, attorney Greg Unatin explains how delays in diagnosing congenital heart defects can lead to serious injuries and the need to fil a