Hospitals Struggle with Lack of Radiologists

When Eta Stine tried to make an appointment for a breast cancer exam at Northwestern University’s Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center last November, she was told the center could accomodate her — in nine months. She scrapped plans to get an appointment at Northwestern, and scheduled an exam at another facility in January. ”Frankly, I think it borders on criminal to have to wait nine months for an appointment for a mammogram,” she says. But that could increasingly become the norm, according to a new study that predicts a growing shortage of mammography professionals in the United States. Doctors and patients worry that  delays like the one Stine experienced could affect the early detection of breast cancer, which has been linked to improved survival rates. “We already have a shortage,” says Dr. Peter Jokich, associate professor of radiology and director of Rush Medical Center’s breast imaging section. “The shortage will become worse as more and more women enter the mammography age.” The American Cancer Society recommends women over 40 get a mammogram every year.The study, conducted at the University of Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, found shortages could particularly affect residents in poor and rural areas. Radiology is an unpopular medical field, hampered by historically low pay, a higher risk of medical malpractice suits and a lot of government regulation, says study author Margaret Langelier.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Chi Town Daily News article:

http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Hospitals_struggle_with_lack_of_radiologists,23113

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Head Injuries: Looking for Signs and Acting Quickly

The 18-year-old runner was rounding third base for home so fast that his batting helmet flew off. The infielder rifled the ball to the catcher, but it caught the runner instead, hitting his suddenly bare head. He scored, walked to the dugout, and five minutes later began to experience a violent headache. He had an epidural hematoma — the same bleeding in the brain that the 45-year-old actress Natasha Richardson fatally suffered last week after her innocent fall on a beginner ski slope in Quebec. And the circumstances seemed equally one in a million. But the young baseball player lived through his injury because the field was close to a hospital and he was taken there right away, and because Dr. Robert Cantu was able to operate quickly. “This kind of blood clot we’re dealing with here almost never happens in helmeted sports — unless the helmet comes off,” said Dr. Cantu, a director of the Neurological Sports Injury Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Ms. Richardson was not wearing a helmet when she fell and she suffered what the New York medical examiner described last week as a “blunt trauma to the head.” She was initially lucid, the ski resort said, and declined treatment. Not until nearly four hours after the accident did her condition quickly deteriorate and Ms. Richardson was rushed to a local hospital hours outside Montreal. She died March 18 at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.  With the public shock surrounding Ms. Richardson’s sudden death subsiding, the medical community, as well as parents and leaders of recreational, youth and college sports are taking harder looks at the inherent risks, and seeking lessons. Traumatic brain injury — a blow to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain — occurs yearly in recreational and organized sports in the United States at a rate of about 207,830 a year, according to a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The C.D.C. said the exact number of fatalities is unknown but Dr. Cantu said deaths represent less than 1 percent of total injuries.

Please click on the link below to read the complete New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/fashion/26helmet.html?ref=health

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Burmese Pythons Expanding Reach in South Florida

Armed with hooks, tongs and a snake bag, biologists at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge spent Thursday learning how to catch Burmese pythons. Although none have been seen at Loxahatchee, the refuge’s workers are getting prepared as part of a general biological and legal campaign against what may be the most menacing of all the nonnative animals that have found a home in South Florida. The giant snakes have established a breeding population in Everglades National Park. Now they’re extending their range — heading toward the wildlife-rich lands to the north and south of the park. About half a dozen pythons have turned up in Key Largo, where they threaten the last populations of the endangered Key Largo wood rat. The snakes are excellent swimmers and could easily make their way deeper into the Keys, where they would consume other endangered mammals, including the Key deer. Recently in southwestern Florida, a python was found with deer hooves in its stomach, said Art Roybal, senior biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service will soon decide whether to list the python as an “injurious species,” which would result in a ban on imports and interstate trade. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, has introduced a bill to impose the bans immediately. A bill in the House, co-sponsored by Reps. Alcee Hastings, D- Miramar, and Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, would require the government to evaluate all species proposed for importation, with the burden of proof on the importer to prove the species would not cause harm.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Sun Sentinel article:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbpythons0306sbmar06,0,7773882.story

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Arizona High Court Upholds Law on Medical Malpractice Suits

The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a state law that lawmakers intended to weed out meritless medical malpractice lawsuits by tightening qualifications of expert witnesses. The ruling let stand a legislative move that an acting justice said intruded on the court’s own constitutional turf. The decision joined by four of the court’s five regular justices overturned a lower court’s ruling that said the 2005 law was unconstitutional because it violated the doctrine of separation of powers between the branches of government. The 2005 law requires that an expert witness in a case involving a malpractice lawsuit against a doctor who specialists in one area of medicine have expertise in the same area.The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a state law that lawmakers intended to weed out meritless medical malpractice lawsuits by tightening qualifications of expert witnesses. The ruling let stand a legislative move that an acting justice said intruded on the court’s own constitutional turf. The decision joined by four of the court’s five regular justices overturned a lower court’s ruling that said the 2005 law was unconstitutional because it violated the doctrine of separation of powers between the branches of government. The 2005 law requires that an expert witness in a case involving a malpractice lawsuit against a doctor who specialists in one area of medicine have expertise in the same area.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Insurance Journal article:

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2009/03/18/98766.htm

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Woman Files Wrongful-Death Suit Over Bungled Abortion at Hialeah Clinic

Belkis Gonzalez is serving probation for unlawfully running a Miramar abortion clinic, and now faces new criminal charges and a lawsuit over a botched abortion.  Sycloria Williams sought an abortion in 2006 from Gonzalez’s clinic, but she says her 23-week-old infant was instead born alive and thrown out in a plastic bag. The wrongful-death civil lawsuit, filed in January, accuses Gonzalez, 43, of Miramar, of attending to the surprise live birth before a doctor could arrive. The suit claims Gonzalez knocked the infant off a chair where Williams had given birth, scooping the baby and afterbirth into the red bag. On Tuesday, Gonzalez was charged with unauthorized practice of medicine resulting in injury and tampering with evidence, both felonies, said Ed Griffith, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Gonzalez denies the accusations.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Sun Sentinel article:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbabort0306sbmar06,0,7764558.story

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Healthcare at Lockups for Haitian Migrants Decried

Calling the medical care provided to detained migrants ”poor and sometimes appalling,” immigrant advocates Tuesday called on the U.S. government to halt the jailing of non-dangerous migrants, dramatically improve care to those who are jailed and employ better oversight of medical care at all detention centers. Advocates with both the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center and Human Rights Watch released detailed reports on the provision of medical care at U.S. migrant detention centers and more than 300 county jails that routinely incarcerate migrants whom the government wishes to deport. The Human Rights Watch report deals primarily with the plight of women in detention, who, the report says, often receive substandard care for pregnancies, breast cancer and even routine gynecological matters. Women often have trouble just getting sanitary napkins, advocates said.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Miami Herald article:

http://www.miamiherald.com/579/story/954361.html

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

President Obama: Medical Malpractice Changes are Under Discussion

The Obama administration and key congressional Democrats are taking a hard look at the nation’s medical malpractice system as part of a broader health care overhaul. “It’s an essential piece for there to be enduring reform – reform that will stick and will get a significant bipartisan vote in the United States Senate,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), who has a bipartisan health bill that includes incentives to get states to enact malpractice reforms. Reviving the issue could provoke a fierce fight from trial lawyers, who, along with doctors, have the most at stake in suits for medical malpractice. Already the trial lawyers’ lobby is preparing to distribute a brief on Capitol Hill casting malpractice as a small cost in the overall health system. Also, the brief, citing an Institute of Medicine finding, says as many as 98,000 deaths in the U.S. each year result from medical error.  Trial lawyers and their Democratic Senate allies helped kill attempts under the Bush administration to cap lawsuit payments for punitive damages and pain and suffering in malpractice lawsuits. The Congressional Budget Office says such caps could save the federal government $4.3 billion from 2010-2019.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Philly.com article:

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090318_Malpractice_changes_are_under_discussion.html

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Miami Beach Woman Awarded $38 Million for Botched Spinal Surgery

A Miami Beach woman left bedridden and in excruciating pain following spinal surgery in 2003 at Mount Sinai Medical Center was awarded $38 million in a  medical malpractice trial by a Miami-Dade Circuit Court jury. The six-person jury deliberated nine hours over two days before finding Monday that neurosurgeon Mario Nanes, Mount Sinai and the hospital’s pharmacy management firm caused Amanda Slavin’s debilitating injuries. ”Justice has been done,” said Slavin, 38, who had to be transported to the courthouse by ambulance so she could testify during the three-week trial. “It’s a great win.”  Mount Sinai settled before the case went to trial, so it’s not on the hook to pay any part of the award. The hospital’s pharmacy management firm at the time, McKesson Medication Management, vowed to appeal. Nanes, who has been sued nine times by patients previously, couldn’t be reached for comment. Nanes originally operated on Slavin to repair a herniated disc. In a subsequent surgery to fix a spinal fluid leak, Nanes injected Slavin’s spine with a dye — the chemical methylene blue — in an attempt to locate the leak. The chemical’s packaging, which had been discarded by McKesson, warned it should not be used for the surgery that Slavin underwent, said Julie Braman Kane, Slavin’s lawyer. Following the surgery, Slavin developed a neurological disability known as arachnoiditis. She said she suffers from burning, stabbing and pressure pains throughout her body.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Miami Herald article:

http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/955276.html

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Legislature Moves to Protect ER Doctors from Medical Malpractice Suits

The Utah Legislature took a step toward reforming the state’s medical malpractice laws Tuesday by passing a measure making it harder for patients to win claims against emergency room doctors. Currently, plaintiffs must be able to prove malpractice by a “preponderance of evidence,” meaning courts must determine it’s more likely than not that malpractice has occurred. Senate Bill 79, sponsored by Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, raises the standard a notch to require “clear and convincing” evidence. Emergency room doctors need extra protection from malpractice lawsuits because federal law requires them to treat anyone who comes in, often without the benefit of knowing patients’ medical histories, said Rep. Roger Barrus, R-Centerville. “These providers are expected to care for everyone, even if they’re not trained in the specifics of a particular case,” said Barrus, the bill’s House sponsor.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Standard article:

http://www.standard.net/live/news/166627/

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

South Florida Doctors, Hospitals Named in Fraud Lawsuit

Federal authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into allegations that 25 South Florida doctors and a dozen hospitals engaged in an ”elaborate scheme” in which the doctors received improper compensation for recommending or implanting pacemakers and defibrillators made by ELA Medical, an Italian company.  The investigation stems from a whistle- blower lawsuit, filed in 2006 by a former ELA employee. For almost three years, the accusations were kept out of the public record. They were recently ordered to be made public by U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan. The lawsuit shines a new light on the much-criticized world of medical device sales, in which there have been repeated accusations of fraud. Some experts say such fraud is a major reason why Medicare healthcare costs in Miami are twice the national average.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Miami Herald article:

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/925707.html

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Could Apologies Reduce Number of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits?

The number of medical malpractice lawsuits in Pennsylvania has been going down slightly in recent years, hovering below 2,000 cases a year. New legislation proposed in the state senate aims to reduce that number further – simply by facilitating a conversation. Maiken Scott reports from WHYY’s Behavioral Health desk.

Please click on the link below to read the complete WHYY article:

http://whyy.org/blogs/healthscience/2009/03/03/could-apologies-reduce-number-of-malpractice-lawsuits/2351

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Lawsuit Claims for South Carolina Doctors Decline Since 2005 Law

South Carolina legislators considering restricting lawsuits against companies heard Thursday that fewer lawsuits are being filed since a 2005 state law limited costs for doctors. A company managing an insurance system for half the state’s doctors told a state Senate panel Thursday that patient claims are down about a third and premium increases have dwindled to about 3 percent since the state imposed limits on non-economic damages on lawsuits. Now a Republican-backed Senate bill would attempt to broaden that by imposing a $250,000 punitive damage cap for small businesses. Businesses with more than 50 employees would face no more than three times the actual damages in lawsuits or $250,000, whichever is greater.

Please click on the link below to read the complete MSNBC article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29533820/

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Hospitals Struggle with Lack of Radiologists

According to a new study that predicts a growing shortage of mammography professionals in the United States. Doctors and patients worry that  delays like the one Stine experienced could affect the early detection of breast cancer, which has been linked to improved survival rates. “We already have a shortage,” says Dr. Peter Jokich, associate professor of radiology and director of Rush Medical Center’s breast imaging section. “The shortage will become worse as more and more women enter the mammography age.” The American Cancer Society recommends women over 40 get a mammogram every year. The study, conducted at the University of Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, found shortages could particularly affect residents in poor and rural areas. Radiology is an unpopular medical field, hampered by historically low pay, a higher risk of malpractice suits and a lot of government regulation, says study author Margaret Langelier. Jokich, whose department conducts about 24,000 breast imaging exams a year, agrees. “It’s kind of a big problem,” he says.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Chi-Town Daily News article:

http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Hospitals_struggle_with_lack_of_radiologists,23113

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Doctors: No Definitive Answers on Flu Deaths Among Young

For most, the flu is a winter inconvenience — stuffy nose, fever, body aches and a few days of bed rest. But what seems fairly routine also can become life-threatening. The majority of flu deaths strike the elderly and people with pre-existing health problems. But flu also affects kids with no known medical problems and can send them into critical condition, or even death.  This flu season started slowly, and doctors anticipate the peak will occur this month or April. Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, has been giving booster shots to patients who were vaccinated early in the season, September or October. “There’s a decline in antibody levels, so we try to give a booster,” Horovitz said. “I’ve been talking to physician immunologists [about] getting a booster– there’s no downside to it.” Although doctors advise that nearly everyone should get a flu shot, skepticism about the severity of the illness and questions about shot’s effectiveness persist. The Journal of the American Medical Association released three studies about the flu Monday. One reports that some flu viruses circulating during the 2007-2008 season were resistant to Tamiflu, an antiviral flu medicine. But those who had the strains resistant to Tamiflu did not get sicker than other patients. During the 2007-08 flu season, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 86 pedatric deaths from flu-related complications. The virus causes inflammation throughout the body and disturbs the functions of the body, including breathing.

Please click on the link below to read the complete CNN article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/02/flu.deaths/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Why Hotels Resist Having Defibrillators

If your heart stops suddenly, you may not want to be at a hotel.  Automated external defibrillators — laptop-sized devices that can automatically restart a heart after sudden cardiac arrest — are now required equipment on commercial airliners and have saved lives at airports, casinos, health clubs and many public buildings. But hotels have resisted installing them, citing potential liability issues. Global Hyatt Corp. says just roughly 20% of its properties have AEDs — though that number is increasing. Choice Hotels International Inc. says “very few” of its hotels are equipped. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC says it doesn’t require its hotels to have AEDs “but the matter is currently under review,” a spokeswoman says. Marriott International Inc., Hilton Hotels Corp. and Best Western International Inc. all declined to say how many of their hotels have AED devices. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. didn’t comment. Hotels worry that if they have the devices, which cost about $1,200 to $2,000 each, they could be sued for failing to have enough units, failing to put them in the right places, or failing to replace batteries or maintain them properly. Another concern: hotel worker training. “Our goal is to make sure guests in medical distress are treated by trained personnel, such as EMTs or paramedics,” says a spokesman for Marriott. The American Hotel and Lodging Association, the trade group for the hotel industry, raised the potential liability issue in a legal-issues briefing to members, though it says it hasn’t taken an official position. “This type of exposure is known as the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ exposure,” the group told its members. “None of those arguments could be made if you had no AED at all.”

Please click on the link below to read the complete Wall Street Journal article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123543325221454001.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

In Just a Flash, Simple Surgery Can Turn Deadly

An electrical spark from a surgical tool sets off a fire in the breathing tube of a young tonsillectomy patient. A hot particle from a bassinet warmer ignites flames that burn a newborn baby. A nicotine patch on a patient undergoing an MRI scan becomes so hot the patient is burned and the test halted. Such horror stories, though rare, are raising concerns about the risks of burn injuries to patients. Patient-safety groups and medical specialty organizations are stepping up efforts to raise awareness of risks and provide guidelines for prevention. Hospitals are conducting operating-room fire drills that teach how to fight fires that break out on the drapes, gowns or skin of surgical patients and extinguish flames inside a patient’s airway or tracheal tube. They’re also developing training programs to educate staffers on the dangers of burns from medical equipment and procedures. While there is no national database of hospital fires and burn incidents, data from studies conducted in Pennsylvania indicate there are 650 surgical fires in hospitals annually in the U.S. — and there may be three to four times as many “near miss” incidents, such as a surgical drape that begins smoldering and was extinguished quickly, says John Clarke, a trauma surgeon and clinical director of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System. While a surgical fire is a relatively minor risk compared to infection, the fact that fire is “preventable and can have such serious repercussions for patients elevates its priority”, Dr. Clarke says.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Wall Street Journal article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491688329704423.html

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

In Trial, Drug Eases a Symptom of MS

A drug developed by Acorda Therapeutics improved the walking ability of some people with multiple sclerosis in a clinical trial, doctors reported Thursday. The results could lead to approval of the first drug to treat a specific symptom of the disease. “This is the first thing that has ever been able to improve the impairment to some degree,” said physician Andrew D. Goodman, the lead author of the study, which is being published in The Lancet, a medical journal. Acorda applied last month for regulatory approval for the drug, called fampridine, based in part on data from this study. The 14-year-old company, based in Hawthorne, N.Y., already sells one drug, a treatment for spasticity, but it is not yet profitable. In MS, the immune system attacks the insulation around nerve fibers. That interferes with transmission of signals through the nerves, causing a variety of neurological problems. For many patients difficulty walking is one of the most vexing problems. The existing drugs for multiple sclerosis are thought to work through the immune system to reduce relapses and slow the development of problems. Acorda’s fampridine, by contrast, improves the ability of the nerve fibers to transmit signals. It could be used along with other medicines to improve walking in people who already have that disability, said Dr. Goodman, a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester and a consultant to Acorda, which sponsored the trial.

Please click on the link below to read the complete New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/business/27drug.html?ref=health

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Some Prenatal Vitamins Lack Iodine, Study Finds

Many brands of multivitamins for pregnant women may not contain all the iodine they claim, potentially putting babies at risk of poor brain development, a new study suggests. Tests on 60 brands that listed iodine as an ingredient on their labels found many fell short of the stated amount. The risk of too little iodine appears greater with ”natural” vitamins that get their iodine from kelp rather than a salt form, the study found. ”If these numbers are all real, then they’re not meeting their label claim and that’s a problem,” said William Obermeyer, a former Food and Drug Administration scientist who co-founded ConsumerLab.com, a private testing service. Obermeyer was not part of the research. The study was done by scientists at the Boston University Iodine Research Laboratory. Results were reported in a letter published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine. No brands were named in the analysis.

Please click on the link below to read the complete New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/25/health/AP-MED-Prenatal-Vitamins.html?_r=2&ref=health

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Lawmakers Seek to Return Right to Sue Device Makers

On the same day last month that a federal judge in St. Paul threw out hundreds of lawsuits against the maker of a faulty heart device, a man entered a nearby hospital to have one of those flawed products surgically removed. The risky operation went terribly wrong. As doctors extracted the device, a thin electronic cable, from the patient’s heart, a vessel was punctured, causing extensive bleeding. The 33-year-old patient, Mark Turnidge, died two days later, leaving behind a wife and two young sons.  “They told me he had suffered massive brain damage,” said his wife, Wendy Turnidge.  She is considering suing the doctors, as well as the device’s maker, Medtronic, which she said bore blame for her husband’s death. But a Supreme Court decision last year stands as a barrier against suing medical device companies — an obstacle that some members of Congress want to remove. At issue is a February 2008 court ruling that barred patients or their survivors from suing makers of complex medical devices — like the Medtronic product — if the Food and Drug Administration has approved their sale. Since that ruling judges nationwide, including the one in St. Paul, have cited it to dismiss cases against a wide range of manufacturers, including Medtronic. The most recent dismissal was this past Tuesday, by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But now, some members of Congress want to give potential plaintiffs like Ms. Turnidge a chance for legal recourse. Two House Democrats, Henry A. Waxman of California, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, the head of its health subcommittee, plan to reintroduce soon legislation that would effectively nullify the Supreme Court decision.

Please click on the link below to read the complete New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/20device.html?_r=1&ref=health

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.

Health Clinics May See Tougher Rules, Standards

Health clinics located in retail businesses would be subject to greater state scrutiny, have to install separate entrances and train all staff in cardiopulmonary resuscitation under proposed legislation that aims to set new standards for the facilities. Among other measures, the state Senate bill also would mandate that a patient’s primary-care physician receive a detailed report of the clinic visit and that prices be displayed outside the clinic’s exam room. The clinics, often located in pharmacies or big-box stores, offer patients a less expensive and more accessible alternative to emergency room care. In the past decade, more than 1,000 such clinics have opened across the country. State Sen. Patricia Miller, R- Indianapolis, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation is not meant to put these clinics out of business. “We’re just trying to make sure that they meet standards like other physicians have to do,” she said.

Please click on the link below to read the complete Indy Star article:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090202/BUSINESS04/902020308

The Citron Law Firm, P.A. (www.citronlegal.com) is a civil trial practice law firm that specializes in professional liability and injury cases, commercial and real estate litigation and family law matters.  The Citron Law Firm is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 707 S.E. Third Avenue, Sixth Floor – (954) 712-1686.