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Personal Injury Law

Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

By Hurley, McKenna & Mertz

Post Frequency: 0.8/day

Last Entry: March 29, 2011 at 14:34:18

ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes

Posted on September 07, 2010
Emergency room visits ?for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids' sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries.? (L. Tanner, AP Medical, 8/30). The findings, however, do not necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise, but may perhaps suggest that people are more aware of head injuries...

Europe probes swine flu shot, narcolepsy link

Posted on August 30, 2010
The European Medicines Agency is investigating whether there is a link between the swine flu vaccine and narcolepsy, a rare disorder that causes people to fall asleep suddenly. (AP London, 8/27). The agency says its investigation is in response to a ?limited number of narcolepsy cases,? mainly in Sweeden and Finland...

F.D.A. Panel Approves Use of Antidepressant for Pain

Posted on August 25, 2010
Recently, A federal advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration ?voted narrowly to recommend allowing Eli Lilly to market its blockbuster antidepressant, Cymbalta, for some chronic pain conditions affecting millions of Americans, particularly lower back pain...

Astra pays $198 Million to settle Seroquel lawsuits

Posted on August 25, 2010
Potentially putting controversy surrounding it?s antipsychotic drug to rest, AstraZeneca said Monday, ?it has paid out to around 17,500 claimants in an amount totaling $198 million regarding allegations the drug causes diabetes in some users.? (AP London, 8/9)...

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Obesity Rates Keep Rising, Troubling Health Officials

Posted on August 04, 2010
According to a recent report released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we are in an obesity crisis. With obesity rates reaching 30 percent in nine states last year, in stark contrast to only three states in 2007, it appears as though America is getting fatter and fatter...

Finding Skeptics on Alzheimer?s Push, Advocates Make Case

Posted on August 04, 2010
We may be on the frontier of a drastically new and improved approach to diagnosis and treating Alzheimer?s disease. As a medical malpractice attorney with experience in Nursing Home litigation, I am hopeful that we can better understand Alzheimer?s disease; however, I am a proponent of thorough testing of new drugs before they are put on the market, and am hopeful that any new drugs will be tested adequately...

Study: Many American doctors don't blow whistle on addicted, incompetent colleagues

Posted on July 20, 2010
As a medical malpractice attorney I am astonished by the following Chicago Tribune story. A shocking number of doctors are aware that their colleagues are not safely practicing due to drug and alcohol addictions but keep it to themselves. A new survey ?finds that many American physicians fail to report troubled colleagues to authorities, believing that someone else will take care of it, that nothing will happen if they act or that they could be targeted for retribution...

Alzheimer's advances show need for better drugs

Posted on July 20, 2010
As a Chicago personal injury lawyer with experience in nursing home cases, I am hopeful that we continue to be able to prevent and treat Alzheimer?s disease. Scientists are reporting ?advances in detecting and predicting Alzheimer's disease? including ?better brain scans to spot the signs of the mind-robbing illness, and more genes that affect risk...

Blood pressure pills could raise cancer risk

Posted on July 08, 2010
According to new research published by the Lancet Oncology, ?some of the world's most popular blood pressure pills may slightly increase your risk of getting cancer, but doctors say it's too soon to ditch the drugs.? (M. Cheng, AP Medical, 6/14). In an analysis of five previous studies of approximately 60,000 patients, ?experts found a link between people taking medicines known as angiotensin-receptor blockers, or ARBs, and cancer...

Diabetes drug risks reported ahead of FDA hearing

Posted on July 08, 2010
A new study released Monday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, ?ties the controversial diabetes drug Avandia to a higher risk of heart problems, strokes and deaths in older adults.? (L. Tanner, AP Medical, 6/28). The leading author of the study is an FDA scientist, Dr...

New meningitis vaccine could stop outbreaks

Posted on July 02, 2010
Health officials say, ?a new meningitis vaccine will help prevent epidemics in Africa for the first time, revolutionizing how doctors fight outbreaks of the deadly disease.? (M. Cheng, AP Medical, 6/30). About 80,000 cases of meningitis, a deadly infection in the lining surround the brain and spinal cord, struck Africa last year...

Woman received lungs of a 30-year smoker

Posted on July 02, 2010
As a medical malpractice lawyer, I am horrified by the following story. Each year medical negligence costs too many lives, and this sad story is just one among many very disheartening examples. The family of a ?28-year-old British woman who was a cystic fibrosis sufferer and unknowingly received a lung transplant from a smoker says she would have been "horrified" and have lodged a complaint...

Americans are Overtreated to death

Posted on June 29, 2010
Another medical problem facing the U.S. occurs because ?Americans increasingly are treated to death, spending more time in hospitals in their final days, trying last-ditch treatments that often buy only weeks of time, and racking up bills that have made medical care a leading cause of bankruptcies...

Oil spill stirs study, debate over health impacts

Posted on June 29, 2010
This week in a meeting organized by the Institute of Medicine, ?public health officials and scientists will be gathering in New Orleans to talk about whether any health problems could be caused by the Gulf oil spill.? (Atlanta AP, 6/21). The group will also discuss the most reliable way to monitor any potential medical issues...

European authorities say Rotarix is safe

Posted on May 28, 2010
The European Medicines Agency said, ?the unexpected presence of a pig virus in GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix vaccine poses no threat and should continue to be used.? (London, AP, 5/21) The drug maker released a statement this week confirming a statement made in March that the vaccine, which is designed to protect babies, it still safe for use...

Targeting brain circuits for addiction, relapse

Posted on May 28, 2010
New medical research suggests that a new frontier in substance abuse may be within our grasp. Researches say, a ?better understanding of how addiction overlaps with other brain diseases is sparking a hunt to see if a treatment for one might also help another...

Swim lessons for toddlers get doctors' approval

Posted on May 25, 2010
After years of claiming otherwise, ?the nation's largest pediatricians group is relaxing its stance against swimming lessons for children younger than 4.? (C. Johnson, AP Medical, Chicao 5/24). In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics took issue with the fact that swimming lessons could give both parents and toddlers a false sense of security, but now the group says lessons are fine for children as young as 1...

E. coli Outbreak sickens 19 people in 3 states

Posted on May 18, 2010
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday, that a Freshway Foods ?is recalling lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people, three of them with life-threatening symptoms...

Pregnant women Should consume much more Vitamin D, according to a study

Posted on May 03, 2010
According to a new study, ?Pregnant women could -- and probably should -- consume 10 times more vitamin D than experts currently recommend.? (Denise Mann, 5/1, CNN). This study interestingly contradicts medical advice that has persisted for decades...

Children's cold, allergy medicine recalled

Posted on May 03, 2010
CNN reports, ?A voluntary recall has been issued for more than 40 over-the-counter drugs for children, including Tylenol and Motrin, because they don't meet quality standards.? (AP Medical, 4/29). As a products liability lawyer, I am pleased to see that the recall was taken on a voluntary basis and am hopeful that all parents take necessary precautions...

Study: 2 good choices to prevent breast cancer

Posted on April 27, 2010
As a medical malpractice lawyer in Chicago, I am intrigued by the results of this new Breast Cancer study. Once proper and thoroughly testing is completed, the drug will hopefully make an impact on many lives. Marilynn Marchione reports, ?A new study finds that two drugs are both good options for helping prevent breast cancer in older women at higher risk of developing the disease...

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives and money

Posted on April 11, 2010
According to a new study, ?The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life? (AP Chicago, L. Tanner, 4/5). The results of the study are estimated, but were published last Monday in the Journal of Pediatrics and corroborated by several experts...

Study finds possible heart risk with prostate drug

Posted on April 11, 2010
Recent results of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding a drug for prostate cancer prevention suggest that the drug leads to a higher risk of heart failure. (M.Marchione, AP, 4/1). The drug, Avodart, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline PLC us already used for urinary problems, thus far without any heart risk failure issues...

Up to a third of breast cancers could be avoided

Posted on April 05, 2010
Recent research suggests ?up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided if women ate less and exercised more.? (M. Cheng, AP Barcelona, 3/25). As a medical malpractice attorney, I am intrigued by this new information. Although technological advances have allowed ?better treatments, early diagnosis and mammogram screenings? to dramatically curtail breast cancer, experts are now shifting focus to prevention measures...

Medical testing: more doesn't always mean better

Posted on March 21, 2010
A recent round of medical reports suggest that too many Americans are being over treated and that more tests and treatment does not always produce better health outcomes. (Chicago AP, L. Tanner, 3/12). Several reasons including patient demand of excessive testing, and doctors practicing defensive medicine to avoid lawsuits are cited...

Veterans Association fined $227K for flawed cancer treatments

Posted on March 21, 2010
Harmful errors in radiation given to 97 veterans with prostate cancer at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center have been in the news for months, but this week the Department of Veterans Affairs was fined $227,500 as a result of these egregious errors. (Philadelphia AP, J...

Australian court: Vioxx doubled heart attack risk

Posted on March 08, 2010
As a medical malpractice attorney in Chicago with experience in medial drug products liability, the recent ruling of the Australian court with regards to the drug Vioxx intrigues me. An Australian court ruled Friday, ?the once-popular painkiller Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and was unfit for consumption? (K...

FDA has concerns with Bristol transplant drug

Posted on February 28, 2010
The Food and Drug Administration says, ?an organ transplant drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb improves kidney function, but the agency has concerns about potentially fatal side effects.? (AP Washington, 2/25). Although Bristol has asked the FDA to approve its drug Belatacept for patients undergoing a kidney transplant, the FDA is concerned that the drug suppresses the body's immune system to avoid organ rejection...

FDA asks Amgen, Johnson & Johnson to discuss Anemia drug risks

Posted on February 22, 2010
As a medial malpractice and products liability attorney, I am pleased with the FDA?s latest action targeting major drug companies. These companies may billions off patients, and all too often, fail to adequately disclose serious risks. In a recent agreement with government regulators, ?Amgen and Johnson & Johnson will do more to publicize the safety risks of their anemia drugs for cancer patients? (AP for FindLaw, 2/16)...

The Whole Truth about Medical Malpractice and Insurance

Posted on February 22, 2010
In the wake of the recent Illinois Supreme Court decision striking down medical malpractice damage caps as unconstitutional, the Illinois Trial Lawyer Association released a report dispelling the medical malpractice myths. (February 2010). In 2005, the Illinois Legislature enacted arbitrary caps on medical malpractice non-economic damages...

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