Medical Malpractice

• Old Surgeons Not a Problem

  Robert Blanchard | December 04, 2006 10:05 AM | 1 CommentPensacola, FL

  When you need complex cardiovascular or cancer surgery, you have to choose a surgeon and many patients may select an older physician, assuming his experience may be needed. New research says they are right - experience helps. A study designed to address this issue used approximately 461,000 Medicare records to assess the association between age of the listed operator and surgical mortality. For...

• Breast Cancer Mis-Diagnosis and Late Diagnosis

  Robert Blanchard | December 22, 2006 12:22 PM | 1 CommentPensacola, FL

  An international panel updated their standards on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, as reported in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS). According to the American Cancer Society, invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 211,240 women and will cause more than 40,000 deaths in 2005. The updated statement reflects the conclusions of a panel...

• Juror Bias Affects Trial Outcomes

  Robert Blanchard | January 11, 2006 10:25 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  Many clients think that simply being on the right side of the case means they will win their case in front of a jury. What many don't realize is that every juror brings to trial their on bias and preferences which have nothing to do with the facts of the case. If a juror goes into trial believing that doctors are honest, benevolent, highly trained and competent, this juror will almost certainly...

• VA Gives Veteran Bad Care - One Horror Story

  Robert Blanchard | April 21, 2006 11:35 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  My firm handles cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, which is one of the most painful and often fatal conditions anyone can suffer through. It is like being slowly burnt alive from the inside out. Keep that in mind and read this account I just received of how the VA treated one of our veterans:Dear Sir,I want to tell you about my husband. In 2004, he developed Avascualr necrosis of his right hip,...

• Doctors Need to Be Aware of Possible Condition

  Robert Blanchard | November 29, 2006 12:42 PM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  With the rise in obesity, there is also expected to be a rise in obesity related medical conditions. Many such conditions only require long term management, but some require instant identification and appropriate medical intervention. Such is the case with the condition known as Pseudotumor Cerebris. Overweight women of childbearing age are at risk and the condition causes and increase in...

• Testing for Adverse Reactions

  Robert Blanchard | September 11, 2006 10:13 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  When it comes time for anesthesia, it sure would be reassuring if a test could be given to make sure you don't have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia medication. It will take sometime to sort out what is feasible, but a recent study shows that more people are at risk than normally assumed.Allergy to Anesthesia Drugs Not Rare in Surgical Patients Nearly 5% of surgical patients have a...

• Uterine Cancer Diagnosis

  Robert Blanchard | October 30, 2006 12:27 PM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  As with any cancer, early detection is the key to succesful treatment of uterine cancer. In the context of medical malpractice, a problem arises when the cancer because the doctor does not follow up apropriately on anobvious warning sign. For uterine cancer, the most likely warning sign is bleeding in post-menopausal women.Approximately 40,880 women developed this form of malignancy in 2005 in...

• Pregnancy - hemorrhage and preterm delivery

  Robert Blanchard | April 24, 2006 10:42 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  I just read an article on placenta previa. This is a condition where the pacenta is in position in the uterus lower down than the baby and thus in in position to come out first during delivery. This condition is a leading cause of death from pregnancy, but it can be discovered by sonogram and medically managed. The primary risk is massive hemorrhage and preterm delivery. Might be a good idea in...

• Gastric Bypass - Choose Carefully

  Robert Blanchard | October 19, 2006 10:59 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  It turns out, as shown in a recent study, that a procedure known as the "duodenal switch" is better than gastric bypass in achieving weight loss in patients who are very obese, (those with a Body Mass Index of at least 50). Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is known to be an effective weight-loss operation for patients with a BMI between 35 and 50. For super-obese patients, however, this operation is...

• Keep Close eye on Malpractice Legislation

  Robert Blanchard | February 21, 2006 10:26 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  Under an agreement on medical-malpractice laws in Washington State, which expected to be enacted into law, doctors would be able to apologize for a medical mistake without it being used against them in court. Mediation would be mandatory before a lawsuit could proceed, and if it went forward, both sides could agree to binding arbitration to avoid costly litigation. Juries also would be able to...