Category: General

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the discovery of bacteria and fungus in vials of injectable steroids.

The announcement, made in early June 2013, stated that sealed vials of steroids compounded by Main Street Family Pharmacy, located in Tennessee, contained the contaminants. The company recalled all of their products nationwide after 24 victims in Florida, Arkansas, Illinois, and North Carolina developed injection site abscesses.

According to a statement released by FDA officials, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working to identify the exact strains of fungus and bacteria found in the vials. To date, there have not been any known cases of meningitis associated with these contaminated steroid injections.

This recent batch of contaminated steroids contained the same drug that was at the center of the 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis that affected approximately 800 victims nationwide. In more than 300 of those meningitis cases, abscesses developed at injection sites—similar to those that developed during this recent recall.

In total, Main Street Pharmacy distributed the contaminated drug throughout 13 states, including Illinois.

Since last year’s contamination outbreak, the FDA has increased their inspection of drugs produced by compounding pharmacies. The results show that many of these pharmacies operate under unsterile conditions.

Injuries or adverse reactions from contaminated steroid injections can be devastating for those who unknowingly become a victim. If you have suffered a serious illness or injury after an injection or medical procedure, an experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney at Lane Brown may be able to help. Our skilled and compassionate lawyers will take the time to understand what happened, answer all of your questions, and help you to determine your next steps—all during a free case evaluation. Contact our office today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your complimentary appointment.

Many times, the signs and symptoms of infection are obvious right away, making it easier to treat a newborn for illness. Other times, symptoms are not apparent for days, weeks, or even months following birth. Either way, infections in newborns can have serious side effects that change a baby’s life forever. Following are some of the common signs and symptoms of infection in infants:

 

• Poor feeding—the baby does not want to nurse or drink from a bottle
• Difficulty breathing
• Restlessness
• Decreased or elevated body temperatures
• Unusual skin rashes or changes in skin color
• Persistent crying
• Unusual irritability
• Sudden changes in sleeping habits
• Vomiting or diarrhea

Signs of a congenital infection, one that is transferred from mother to baby in the womb, include:

• Small body size
• Abnormal head size—either too big or too small
• Enlarged abdominal organs
• Heart murmurs

In some cases, these symptoms can be identified during pregnancy through ultrasounds and proper prenatal care.  When the symptoms are identified, precautions can be taken to help ensure the health and safety of the baby.

If your baby suffered a severe birth injury due to the negligence of a medical professional, help may be available. Contact a Chicago birth injury lawyer at Lane Brown for legal assistance. Our compassionate and skilled attorneys will take the time to fully understand your situation, answer your questions, and help you to determine your next steps—all during a free case evaluation. Give us a call today at 800-529-5377 to schedule your complimentary consultation. We will work tirelessly to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have ever spent time in a doctor’s office or emergency room, you know that wait times can be quite lengthy. Once you finally get to an examination room, there is often another long wait. Then, the doctor rushes in, asks a few questions, and then leaves. This scenario is quite common.

In fact, recent studies show that doctors-in-training are spending shorter amounts of time with their patients. Researchers examined the day-to-day lives of medical interns in multiple facilities over nearly 900 hours of work. They spent time observing doctors performing normal activities including:

• Talking with and examining patients
• Meeting with families
• Attending educational seminars and conferences
• Discussing treatment plans with other doctors
• Eating, sleeping, and walking around the hospital

Researchers found that interns spent about 12 percent of their time—approximately 8 minutes per patient—interacting directly with patients. Several factors may explain why patient contact time is so limited. First, changes in electronic recordkeeping, force interns to spend nearly half of their time documenting case information. In addition, recent laws limit the number of hours a medical student can work on a weekly basis. Decreased patient care by medical students may also be due to increased patient loads, duties such as patient transport, note taking, and reading patient charts.

Reduced face-to-face time with patients increases the risk of improper diagnoses, wrongfully prescribed prescriptions, and improper supervision from attending physicians. If you, or someone you love, suffered a medical error injury, a skilled and experienced Chicago medical malpractice attorney at Lane Brown can help you to understand if you have grounds to take legal action. Contact our law office today at 312-332-1400 to schedule a free case evaluation. We are standing by to help.

 

 

A recent national evening news piece told the story of a woman who videoed a piece of wood as it flew through her windshield. She had been traveling down a highway, caught behind two semi-trucks traveling parallel to each other on the road, not allowing other drivers to pass. In frustration, she took out her phone to capture the incident with her camera and obtain truck identification information. Suddenly, an unsecured piece of lumber flew from one of the truck beds and crashed through her windshield. Fortunately, the driver was not injured. Others, however, are not always so lucky.

Unsecured objects projecting from vehicles, semi-truck tire tread, sharp metal objects, and other roadside junk can be extremely dangerous, causing a Chicago car crash. Following outlines the parties who might be liable in for a car accident caused by flying debris:

• Drivers have a responsibility to secure loose or protruding objects such as luggage on a rack, lumber or metal poles protruding from the truck bed, or equipment such as a bike or lawn mower.
• Road crews from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are responsible for cleaning up roadkill and picking up hazardous materials on the roadway. IDOT may be liable for resulting injuries if dangerous garbage is not cleaned up in a timely manner.
• Passengers in another car or pedestrians on an overpass or bridge can cause a severe accident by throwing objects at passing vehicles. These third parties can be held liable for their negligent acts.

 

If you have seriously injured in a car accident due to the negligent or careless acts of another, contact a Chicago car crash lawyer at Lane Brown. Our experienced personal injury attorneys will look at every detail of your case and help you to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Give us a call today at 312-332-1400 to schedule your free consultation.

 

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