Posts by Bruce Plaxen
The CDC Has Labeled Sepsis as a “Medical Emergency”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about sepsis, a potentially fatal complication of infections. When caught in time, sepsis can be treated, but a delay can lead to serious injury or even death. (Both actress Patty Duke and boxer Muhammad Ali died of sepsis-related complications this year.) The illness moves…
Read MoreThe Hazards of Bicycle and Car Door Accidents
Bicyclists have many hazards to contend with when they must interact with drivers on the roadways. Drivers must also be on the lookout for bicyclists and other moving vehicles when they open their doors after having parked their cars. “Dooring” laws require that people who are exiting a vehicle make sure that it is reasonably…
Read MoreMaryland Court of Appeals Sets New Precedent for Social Host Liability
We all know that drinking and driving is dangerous. We all know that it is illegal. Yet every day, someone gets behind the wheel of a car when he or she clearly should not, and puts the lives of themselves and others at risk. Thanks to the Maryland Court of Appeals, however, a new precedent…
Read MoreGraco’s Latest Recall Adds to the Largest Car Seat Recall in U.S. History
Graco Children’s Products is one of the leading manufacturers of baby toys and equipment in the country. The chances are good that if you have children, you own a Graco product – most likely, one of their car seats. However, under the insistence of safety regulators, Graco has recalled 1.9 million infant car seats because…
Read MoreToyota Recalls 1.4 Million Cars because of Exploding Autoliv Airbags
For the last two years, all of the focus has been on Takata, a Japanese manufacturer whose defective airbags have been implicated in the deaths of at least 14 people, and in the injuries of at least 139 others. Honda has also been implicated in some lawsuits. Not to be outdone, Toyota has recalled more…
Read MoreIKEA Finally Recalls Dangerous Dressers Implicated in the Deaths of Three Children
Furniture giant IKEA has recalled almost 36 million dressers and chests which have been implicated in the deaths of three children and the injuries of 19 more since 2014. The pieces are known to tip over, and lawsuits are alleging that the weight of the furniture is crushing toddlers. The recall was announced in cooperation…
Read MoreWhat is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder which affects a person’s bodily movements and muscle coordination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define cerebral palsy as a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It is also the most common childhood motor disability. It…
Read MoreFDA Advises Restricted Use of Fluoridated Antibiotics Linked to Serious Nerve Damage
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a drug safety communication in which they advise restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for uncomplicated infections who have other treatment options. An FDA safety review showed that fluoroquinolones are associated with adverse side effects that can be disabling and potentially permanent. These adverse effects involve the tendons,…
Read MoreFDA Warns that Diflucan May Increase a Woman’s Chance of Miscarriage
The Food & Drug Administration is looking into a Danish study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found an association between the use of oral fluconazole (the generic name for Diflucan) and the “risk of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth.” The current warning on the drug says it is safe for women…
Read MoreOlympus Endoscopes Lawsuits Beginning to Take Shape
Last year, we wrote about a “superbug” infection caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which was linked to use of the Tokyo-based Olympus Corp.’s duodenoscopes. At that time, only two lawsuits had been filed. In January of this year, however, Olympus voluntarily recalled thousands of those scopes “two days after a U.S. Senate report concluded that…
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