Posted on February 05, 2016 in General

By Robert Geimer

For many years physicians in training, called residents, worked brutally long shifts, barely sleeping over the course of days.  As the workhorses of medical care in hospitals, this justifiably led to concerns over errors due to the dangerous combination of inexperience and sleep deprivation.  This resulted in rule changes limiting residents to no more than 28 straight hours at the hospital, and 14 hours off after working a 24 hour shift.  However, a study in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine has concluded that the reduced resident hours have not impacted patient safety, and is therefore recommending returning to the brutally long shifts of the past.  Groups such as the American Medical Student Association are opposing such a rollback, pointing to the “overwhelming” evidence of the dangers of sleep deprivation.  In the middle of all of this are hospital patients who expect – and pay for – medical professionals to be at their best.

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 Posted on January 31, 2016 in Product Liability

By Shawn Kasserman

Cough syrup can contain a myriad of ingredients to help alleviate pain, cough, or general discomfort; morphine is not typically one of those ingredients, but it was found in Ma Ying Long Pharmaceutical Group’s over-the-counter Licorice Coughing Liquid. Even more concerning is that the ingredient was never listed on the product’s packaging. As such, the retailer in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling the drug.

About the Recall

Manufactured in China and distributed in the United States by Master Herbs USA, Inc., Licorice Coughing Liquid is an over-the-counter cough syrup with labeling written in both English and Chinese. The product was found to contain morphine, which was not identified on the label in English. While every person taking this medication could be at risk for adverse effects, individuals who are sensitive to morphine and those that are in addiction recovery are at the highest level of risk for a severe consequence.

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 Posted on January 25, 2016 in Product Liability

By Shawn Kasserman

Though helpful in alleviating the symptoms of a common cold, infection, or allergies, an overdose of Guaifenesin can lead to serious and potentially fatal side effects. Children with certain health conditions are especially susceptible. This makes a recent drug recall for children’s Guaifenesin grape liquid and Guaifenesin DM cherry liquid, all made by Perrigo Company, of serious concern for parents, particularly for those with children that poorly metabolize dextromethorphan.

Why the Recall was Issued

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), several generic brands of children’s Guaifenesin grape liquid (100mg/5 mL) and Guaifenesin DM cherry liquid (100mg Guaifenesin and 5mg dextromethorphan HBr/ 5 mL) were voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer Perrigo Company because of improperly marked dosing cups. This presents the potential risk of overdose in those taking the recalled medications. All children are at risk, but those that are poor metabolizers of dextromethorphan are especially at risk for serious adverse effects of an overdose.

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 Posted on January 18, 2016 in General

By Robert Geimer

As more women choose to deliver their babies at home, many to wonder whether delivering at home is as safe as delivering in the hospital.  We now have some data.  According to a special article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of a baby dying was 3.9 per 1,000 births for deliveries at home or at birth centers, versus 1.8 deaths per 1,000 births in hospitals.  These data would seem to confirm the idea that when complications occur, it takes trained medical personnel and the best equipment to promptly address such complications.  However, hospital personnel still need to be vigilant and responsive to avoid the mistakes and delays that can cause devastating outcomes.  A good obstetrician with a well-trained labor and delivery staff and the best equipment seems to provide the best chance of delivering a healthy baby.

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 Posted on January 10, 2016 in Food Poisoning

By Timothy Tomasik

Chipotle, well-known for their fresh, often locally sourced foods, is one of the most popular fast food chains in the United States. Unfortunately, the restaurants have started making headlines for a completely different reason; now associated with nearly 500 food poisoning incidents, they are currently in the midst of their second official outbreak, and officials are still uncertain of the cause.

First Wave of Incidents

Food poisoning incidents began back in August, with 234 customers and employees becoming sick from norovirus at a Chipotle in Simi Valley, California. Next came the salmonella-tainted tomatoes at 22 different Minnesota locations that caused 64 illnesses and nine hospitalizations in August and September. Dozens more were sickened by norovirus in Boston, where multiple safety violations were later uncovered. But the most widespread outbreak—one that has yet to be resolved—occurred in the Northwestern region of the United States.

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 Posted on January 08, 2016 in Food Poisoning

By Robert Geimer

When you think of food poisoning, you probably think of dirty restaurants and foods like chicken, eggs, or unpasteurized cheese. However, a recent study shows that the leading source of food poisoning is actually caused by fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, over the last decade, foods like cilantro, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and bell peppers have caused 629 outbreaks and nearly 20,000 foodborne illnesses. Still, the experts at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) say Americans should be eating more of these foods.

How Fruits and Vegetables Cause Food Poisoning

Fruits and vegetables are not typically considered a source for foodborne illness because—on their own—they do not carry much of a risk. But fresh produce can easily be contaminated by soil, water, or feces. Rapid agricultural consolidation and changes in how food is sourced, grown, and distributed only further compounds the issue, creating a situation in which a single outbreak could affect more people than ever before.

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 Posted on January 06, 2016 in General

By Robert Geimer

Nineteen people are dead with many other close calls as the result of keyless ignition systems found in many new cars, according to the safety group KidsAndCars.org.  As reported by NBC News, drivers are inadvertently pulling into garages and leaving their vehicles with the key fobs but with engines still running.  This has led to carbon monoxide poisoning and death.  The problem is that most of us are used to only being able to take the key out of the ignition after the engine is turned off.

The auto industry abruptly changed this with the introduction of keyless fobs, where a driver can, by habit, leave the vehicle with the key (fob) but the engine can be left running and spewing carbon monoxide into the garage and residence.  Though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified this as a “clear safety problem” in 2011, nothing has been done about it.  Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is pushing for a solution to the problem and deserves our support.  In the meantime, if you drive a car with a keyless ignition, remember to always manually turn the engine off before leaving the vehicle.

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 Posted on January 06, 2016 in Food Poisoning

By Shawn Kasserman

Each year, food poisoning causes 550 million illnesses and 230,000 deaths worldwide. Children, who make up only 10 percent of the world’s population, account for at least one-third of those deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently found. But even more devastating than the statistics themselves is the fact that foodborne illnesses are completely preventable.

The Human Cost of Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illnesses can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or chemicals found in food or water. In countries like Africa and Southeast Asia, most illnesses can be traced back to a lack of unclean or improperly stored water. But foodborne illness is not sanctioned to developing countries. In fact, nearly 10 percent of all people around the world (600 million) fall ill because foods have been improperly grown, handled, stored, or cooked. Of those, 420,000 die; 125,000 of them are children under the age of five.

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 Posted on January 04, 2016 in Food Poisoning

By Daniel Kotin

More than 30 million cases of food poisoning are reported in the United States each year. Many others go unreported and untreated. Clearly, it is a serious problem—one currently without a viable solution. However, experts have begun to question whether or not applications and websites, such as Yelp, may be able to help in tracking down outbreaks and shutting down repeat or serious offenders.

The Dangers of Food Poisoning

At first glance, food poisoning might not seem like a serious condition. However, symptoms can range from mild gastroenteritis and dehydration to life-threatening neurologic, hepatatic, and renal syndromes. Of course, most victims do recover, but a recent study managed to trace more than 2,000 annual deaths to foodborne illnesses and pathogens. Though slightly lower than the previously estimated 9,000 deaths per year, it is clearly still a prominent issue in the United States.

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 Posted on December 23, 2015 in General

By Bob Geimer

Fifty-seven-year-old Barbara Dawson had terrible pain in her abdomen and was taken by ambulance to Calhoun Liberty Hospital near Tallahassee, Florida Sunday night.  Doctors decided there was nothing wrong and discharged her, but feeling something was wrong, Ms. Dawson did not leave.  So the Hospital called police and she was arrested for disorderly conduct.  But something was wrong – Ms. Dawson was suffering from a pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot in her lung - and collapsed while in handcuffs outside the hospital and died.  The shame of it is that PE can be easily diagnosed with an imaging test.  Had this been done, Ms. Dawson could have been treated and would be alive today.  Instead, she was shackled and died a horrible death.  This is inexcusable.  Doctors are taught to listen to their patients, and when Ms. Dawson was telling them something wasn’t right, they should have listened.

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