Posts by Bruce Plaxen
FDA 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…
Read More5 Types of Maryland Workplace Injuries
There are a lot of dangerous jobs out there, and some workers have a much greater risk of sustaining an injury than others. But just because you do not work in a typically dangerous profession or field, does not mean that you might not be hurt in the course of your duties. In Maryland, injured…
Read MoreRadiation Overdoses May Be the Result of Medical Negligence
Cancer survivors who have undergone radiation and chemotherapy to treat the disease sometimes say that the cure is worse than the condition. Medical professionals use radiation therapies for more than just cancer treatment, however – and sometimes, they use too much. An overdose of radiation can lead to internal burn injuries, and (ironically) to the…
Read More“I Think the Nursing Home is Drugging Grandma”
You go to visit your elderly relative in the nursing home. Over time, you noticed that she is a little less vibrant than she used to be, a little more likely to be asleep when you come by. You chalk it up it age; after all, we all slow down a bit as the years…
Read MoreDeaths of Two Pedestrians Reminds Us All to Be Careful When Sharing the Roads with Cars
On April 1, 2016, two pedestrians were fatally injured in two separate incidents in Maryland. Both people were struck by cars, and both were declared dead at the scene, according to Eye on Annapolis. The first case was a hit-and-run, and there were no witnesses. The second fatal accident appears to be the result of…
Read MoreMaryland Hospitals Score Poorly When it Comes to C. Diff Transmission
Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is one of the more common hospital acquired infections (HAIs). It is also one of the more dangerous, especially for the very young and the elderly. It is easily transmittable from object-to-person, or person-to-person, and it “can produce toxins that attack the lining of the intestine,” according to the Mayo…
Read MoreSome of the Most Common Auto Accident Injuries Take a Long time to Heal
Most people who have never been in an auto accident think that only the most severe injuries – injured spinal cords, internal organ damage, etc. – are the ones that need a lot of medical care. All injuries need treatment in varying levels, but some of the more common injuries could require a long time…
Read MoreThe Birth Injury Fund Is a Very Bad Idea
For many years, hospitals and their insurers have been trying to convince Maryland legislators to create a No-Fault Birth Injury Fund for families whose children sustained an injury during birth. They have increased their efforts this year with a public relations campaign that is scamming the public. The purpose of the fund, according to a…
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