Keep Your Family Safe from Burn Injuries Safe this Summer
The best way to prevent burns is a little common sense. Our guide to preparing for your summer can help keep you and your family safe during summer fun; a trip to the hospital can ruin everyone’s day, and burns can cause serious health problems. The biggest burn risks to you and your family face…
Read MoreFor Patients, the Difference Between the Right or Wrong Prescription Could Be a Sandwich
A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the links between pharmaceutical spending on entertaining doctors and the prescribing habits of those doctors. Unsurprisingly, the study found that doctors are more likely to prescribe a particular drug if a company spent money on activities like research, gifts, meals or travel. The surprising part was…
Read MoreUnderride Crashes Are Frequently Fatal, and the NHTSA Is the One to Blame
On June 20, two people were injured when a pickup truck rear-ended a tractor-trailer on I-77 just north of LaSalle Street. Both were transported to different medical facilities, one with very serious injuries. Just two days later, another pickup truck rear-ended a different 18-wheeler on I-77, this time near mile marker 73. The driver of…
Read MoreFDA Reviews Diflucan after Study Links Usage to Fetal Death
The Food and Drug Administration has changed the pregnancy category for Diflucan (fluconazole) after a Danish study linked use of the drug during pregnancy to fetal risk. The study, which examined more than 1.4 million pregnancies over 16 years, found that low oral doses in the first trimester could cause birth defects, while high oral…
Read MoreDaubert or Frye? The Most Important Standard You’ve Never Heard Of
The controversy over the allegation that genital talc use in females increases the risk of ovarian cancer is still raging. Juries have awarded tremendous damages in two cases that Johnson & Johnson has publicly announced they intend to appeal. The situation raises the interesting question of whether the judicial system is capable of determining “true”…
Read MoreBig Rig Cargo Spills Are an Overlooked Threat
Cargo spills aren’t something that many of us consider when we leave on a morning commute or run to the store for a gallon of milk. While many truck crashes slide under the radar, some crashes are always newsworthy; some for circumstance (a bread truck colliding with a deli truck in New Jersey, a beer…
Read MoreBarry Coates Dedicated His Life to His Country, and His Death to Fellow Veterans
Barry Coates, the man who would become the face of the Veterans Affairs scandal over delays in care, passed away in January of this year. His story is heartbreaking and poignant, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they continue to adjust to his absence from their lives. However, his story is…
Read MoreVeterans Can Retake TBI Exams after Confusing VA Policies Denied Benefits to Thousands of People
Reports began to surface last year from around the country about veterans who were denied benefits for traumatic brain injury incurred during active duty. As allegations began to stack up, the Veterans Affairs Department began a systematic review of policies that applied to the disability. Years of botched examinations and dedicated investigative journalism finally came…
Read MoreMost Defective Scopes Are Manufactured by Just Three Companies
Last year, we wrote about a lawsuit brought against Pentax Medical Company and Advocate Luther General Hospital in Chicago. The suit was filed by the adult children of Renate Winkler, who died after contracting the healthcare-associated infection known as CRE after a routine endoscopy was performed with improperly sterilized equipment. The wrongful death lawsuit was,…
Read MoreNature Abhors a Vacuum: Why Corporations Have a Social Responsibility to Warn Consumers of Potential Risks
When was the last time a press release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission made the front page? The last time you remember reading Safety Communication directly from the US Food & Drug Administration? While the Internet has provided dozens of platforms for users to share information, the challenge will always be getting the right…
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