All Topics

• A Schedule of Damages for Malpractice Cases?

  Bob Carroll | September 27, 2005 4:40 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Michigan lawyer, Aaron Larson, blogging on The Stopped Clock, shoots down a proposal to create a schedult of damages for malpractice cases.To his thoughts I would add my own: Why not focus on stopping the malpractice instead of reducing the compensation to its victims. If half as much effort were to be expended in improving the quality of patient care as is involved in creating "certainty and...

• Spinal Anesthesia Results In Paraplegia

  Bob Carroll | September 25, 2005 4:44 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  "Does the evidence support the use of spinal and epidural anesthesia for surgery?"This is the question asked in the excellent medical journal article just published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia atVolume 17 • Number 5 • August 2005.Spinal anesthesia can result in bleeding into the epidural space which, if not diagnosed and treated within a very short window of time, may lead...

• Are New Drugs Worth The Price Or Risk?

  Bob Carroll | September 25, 2005 3:25 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Two new drug studies may explain why we are spending lots more on new drugs and not getting any better. According to one study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, total U.S. spending on medical research has doubled in the past decade, nearing $95 billion a year. But we're not seeing the results we might expect.A second study comparing schizophrenia drugs has found that...

• Doctor Must Ask Right Questions Even If The Patient Speaks Spanish

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 11:08 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A breakdown in communications between an obstetrician and a Spanish-speaking pregnant mother may have resulted in injuries to a newborn child in the Florida case of TORRES v. SULLIVAN, 2D03-5227 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 2005).The standard of care provided to an expectant mother regarding delivery should not be lowered because she does not speak English. Nor should the expectant mother be expected to...

• Knowledge Of Defect On Premises Does Not Bar Claim

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 10:20 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  If the visitor knows there is no handrail and still falls down the stairs and is injured can he bring a claim for compensation?The answer, according to the very recent appellate decision of MILLER v. SLABAUGH, 2D04-3799 (Fla.App. 2 Dist. 2005, is yes. The reason lies in the twofold duty that a landowner owes to a visitor. The result of this decison is the right of an injured person to present...

• Errors In Medication Histories

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 5:59 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  According to an article published in the August 30, 2005, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ. 2005;173:510-515)the medication histories obtained at the time of admission are frequently erroneous or incomplete. And, the error and omissions are potentially very harmful.Conclusion: accurate medication histories at the time of hospital admission are an important element of...

• MRSA Diagnosis & Treatment Delayed

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 5:29 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Reuters Health reports that MRSA infections which are spreading in hospitals are not being recognized or treated as promptly as it should."NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even with early therapy, infection-related mortality from nosocomial bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia (NBSAP) is high, according to a report in the September issue of Chest. [Nosocomial is a fancy word for "acquired in...

• $15 Million Verdict In Motorcycle Death

  Bob Carroll | September 24, 2005 4:30 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Tampa Bay Online has reported on a significant wrongful death verdict in Tampa. I congratulate counsel from Pinellas County who obviously presented a compelling case for the anguish of the family over this tragic loss."TAMPA - The parents of a motorcyclist who died in an accident with a tractor-trailer won a $15 million verdict in a trial that ended Wednesday.About 4 p.m. on Oct. 31, Jeremy T....

• Blame The Children Of The Nursing Home Residents?

  Bob Carroll | September 22, 2005 6:15 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Just who is responsible for the timely and safe evacuation of the residents of nursing homes?The Louisiana Attorney General has got it right. The professions who were entrusted with the lives of their residents had the responsibility to provide a timely and safe evacuation. The relatives of the deceased residents will forever live with their loss and do not need the additional burden of the...

• Death By Duragesic

  Bob Carroll | September 21, 2005 4:06 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  A patient in Tampa Bay who was provided prescriptions by his treating physician for over twice the proper number of Duragesic Patches, in increasingly more potent doses, was found dead by his wife on his living room couch in Florida.Had the doctor taken his patient on a downward spiral of narcotic addiction and dependence...?The medical records of the prescribing doctor held the answer to this...