Recently, Northwestern Medicine published a study that finds that maternal health problems and birth complications have increased in Illinois. Severe maternal morbidity or severe health impacts from labor and delivery went up from 1.4% to 2% in connection with 988,000 births between 2016-2023 at more than at 127 hospitals in…
Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice
Preterm Infant Formula Litigation Update
Two preterm formula cases have been tried against manufacturers. The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics has emphasized that preterm infant formula is both routine and necessary in the care of preterm infants. However, last year, there was a major victory in Gill v. Abbott Laboratories, a preterm infant…
Joint Commission Data Indicates that 2023 Sentinel Events Approached 2022’s Record High
Sentinel events are significant medical mistakes that affect patient safety and result in severe temporary harm, permanent harm, or death. The data compiled by the Joint Commission for 2023 found that sentinel events were close to 2022’s record high. In 2023, there were 1411 reported and reviewed events. Of these,…
“Born Free: Birth in America” Investigates the Uptick in Maternal Mortality
The new feature length documentary “Born Free: Birth in America” is a 95-minute investigation into maternal mortality in the United States, and why it’s increasingly dangerous for mothers to give birth in this country. The movie was made by Paula James-Martinez, a British journalist who became a mother in 2018.…
Around 800,000 Deaths and Permanent disability Cases Are from Diagnostic Errors
CNN covered a recent report that found hundreds of thousands of deaths and permanent disabilities are the result of misdiagnosis of disease and other conditions. Every year, around 371,000 people pass away, while 420,000 find themselves permanently disabled with loss of limbs of organs, brain damage, blindness or metastasized cancer.…
The Debate Over a Controversial “Clot-Busting” Stroke Medication
Photo Credit: Victor Moussa / Shutterstock.com A stroke is essentially a “brain attack” that – like a heart attack – occurs when the blood flow to a portion of the brain is cut off. Strokes are the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, with about 800,000 people suffering…
Protecting Against the Risks Associated with Breast Implant Surgery
Photo Credit: nimon / Shutterstock.com Breast augmentation, or augmentation mammoplasty, has been the most common elective cosmetic surgery in the United States for over a decade. Last year alone, there were over 300,000 breast augmentation surgeries performed across the United States. This figure represents a 3% increase from the year…
After Daughter’s Overdose, Mother’s Case Against Doctor Dismissed for Failure to File Required Affidavit
In a recent case, a mother sued her daughter’s doctor after her daughter overdosed on a combination of prescription and non-prescription pills. The daughter died on May 18, 2013 after she took a lethal combination of pills. On May 15, 2015, the mother filed the claim against her daughter’s doctor,…
Man Injured While Being Moved by Hospital Staff Has Lawsuit Blocked Due to Statute of Limitations
In a recent case, a plaintiff who was receiving treatment at a hospital was injured as he was being moved on a gurney within the hospital by medical personnel. While the plaintiff was being transferred, the gurney tipped over, and he suffered fractures as a result. The plaintiff filed a…
Illinois Extends Potential Statute of Limitations in Wrongful Death and Survival Act Claims
In a recent case, a 90-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in 2009. During her stay at the hospital, the woman suffered several complications, and she died within weeks of her arrival. The woman’s son requested her medical records, and he received them almost one year after her death.…