Tag: Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers

Mismatched Blood Transfusion And Transfusion Reaction

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A blood transfusion is a common medical procedure in which donated blood is provided to a patient through a narrow tube (IV catheter) placed within a vein in the arm. Blood transfusions become medically necessary for many reasons, including a need to replace blood in patients who suffer significant bleeding as the result of a major surgery or accidental injury. Blood transfusions are also needed by patients with blood disorders which interfere with their body’s ability to manufacture blood and/or blood components, such as blood platelets.

The four major blood groups (A, B, AB, and O) are determined by the presence or absence of specific antigens (on the surface of red blood cells) and specific antibodies (in the blood plasma). Every person has an ABO blood type, and is either blood type A, B, AB or O. In addition, all blood is designated by its Rh factor, depending on whether or not it contains another blood cell surface antigen, called the Rh factor. Blood is either Rh-positive (if the Rh factor antigen is part of the surface of its red blood cells) or Rh-negative (if its red blood cells do not include Rh factor antigens). There are very precise ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion. The blood donor and the recipient must have their blood types checked and cross-matched to ensure that the recipient’s immune system will not attack the donor blood.

If incompatible blood is given during a transfusion (donor and recipient blood types do not match), the donor cells are treated as if they were foreign invaders, and the patient’s immune system attacks them accordingly. This creates life threatening complications for the patient. If a transfusion reaction occurs, it renders the blood transfusion useless and can cause a potentially overwhelming activation of the transfused patient’s immune system and blood clotting system. This may result in the patient going into shock, kidney failure, circulatory collapse, and death.

The safe and effective administration of blood transfusion procedures involves the coordinated care of a variety of professional groups including nurses, doctors, laboratory scientists and blood banks. With that being said, there is absolutely no excuse for a patient receiving an incompatible blood transfusion. This preventable, careless medical mistake is often referred to as a “never event” – a patient treatment error that should under no circumstances occur.

If you or a loved one feel you are the victim of a medical mistake, contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (800-403-7259). When you call, you will speak with an experienced Baltimore Medical Malpractice attorney absolutely FREE.

The attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced, caring professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. Call us today to receive a free, confidential consultation about your possible case. At The Yost Legal Group, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

Injury During Cardiac Catheterization

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death globally. Because more people die annually from heart disease than from any other cause, it is important to take preventative measures to examine how well your heart is working. Diagnostic procedures and medical tests are commonly performed by medical professionals to monitor the heart and keep people from suffering fatal heart attacks.

Cardiac catheterization, a procedure used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions, involves inserting a flexible wire into an artery or vein in your neck or groin, threading this wire through your blood vessels to your heart and, finally, guiding a long, thin tube, called a catheter, over the wire and into coronary arteries, veins or even a chamber of the heart.

Complications of this procedure can include:

  • Creation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel (thrombus), triggering a stroke, heart attack, or other serious problems.
  • Dislodgment of atherosclerotic plaque (plaque rupture) from the interior wall of a blood vessel, triggering a stroke, heart attack, or other serious problems in patients with atherosclerosis (a condition commonly known as “hardening of the arteries”)
  • Damage to blood vessels (the wire or catheter may cut, scrape or puncture a blood vessel as they are threaded to the heart), causing severe bleeding (hemorrhage or hematoma).
  • Accidental placement of the catheter into the wrong artery, vessel, heart chamber or, rarely, into a lobe of the lung.

The use of ultrasound imaging to guide catheter placement and the degree of technical experience greatly influence the incidence of vascular complications. If ultrasound imaging is not used to provide visual guidance during the procedure, or if the doctor performing the catheterization is careless or inexperienced, risks of complication skyrocket. These complications may all fall into the category of medical malpractice. An injury during cardiac catheterization can cause permanent damage or even result in death.

If you or a loved one feel you are the victim of a medical mistake contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (800-403-7259). When you call, you will speak with an experienced Baltimore Medical Malpractice attorney absolutely FREE.

We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you will never pay an attorney’s fee up front, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case.

 

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

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Cerebral palsy (CP) occurs in nearly 1 in every 500 births, making it is the most prevalent cause of motor function impairment. A disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture, CP is a neurological condition caused by brain damage which is usually suffered before, during or soon after a baby is born. CP may also cause seizure disorder (epilepsy), swallowing, speech and eye movement problems, and can cause intellectual disabilities.  Premature birth significantly increases an infant’s risk of CP.  There are several different types of CP, with each type classified according to the type of body movement and posture problem present. Ataxic cerebral palsy is the rarest type of cerebral palsy and involves the entire body.

Ataxic CP causes problems with:

  • Balance
  • Precise Movements (may reach too far or too close to touch objects)
  • Coordination (may walk with feet unusually far apart)
  • Hand control (may have trouble buttoning clothing, writing or using scissors)

If there is birth trauma during labor and delivery, it is possible for the baby to suffer from a brain injury due to hypoxia, or lack of oxygen. Medical staff is expected to monitor the baby’s heart rate and the mother’s contraction rate to ensure the safety of the baby and avoid birth injury. Medical negligence in this area could be the reason why you child suffers from cerebral palsy.

Motor functioning impairment greatly affects quality of life. Additionally, the cost of care for a child with brain damage is high. If your child’s brain injury was caused by a medical mistake at birth, or caused by an extremely premature birth which healthcare providers negligently failed to prevent (such as a failure to diagnose and treat preeclampsia), the experienced Birth Injury lawyers at The Yost Legal Group are here to help.

Call The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529) for a FREE, confidential, no-obligation consultation. When you call, you will speak with a Baltimore Birth Injury attorney with real experience absolutely free. At The Yost Legal Group, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

 

Hypoxic Brain Injury- Intubation

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Tracheal intubation (TI), usually simply referred to as intubation, is a procedure performed by medical professionals in the setting of respiratory failure and shock. This procedure involves inserting a flexible plastic tube into the patient’s trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway, assist with breathing and can also serve as a channel through which to administer certain drugs.

Although intubation is a life-saving intervention, life-threatening complications may arise if this complex procedure is not done correctly. Negligent placement of the endotracheal tube into the esophagus, instead of the trachea, is a major cause of cardiac arrest and brain damage associated with intubation.  If this mistake is not immediately recognized and the tubing withdrawn from the patient’s esophagus, the patient’s airway remains blocked and hypoxic brain injury or anoxic brain injury can result from the asphyxiation caused by negligent intubation.

Patients must have a continuous supply of oxygen to the brain in order to survive. If the oxygen supply is interrupted, even for a short amount of time, the functioning of the brain is disturbed immediately and irreversible damage can quickly follow. Despite intubation guidelines and years of training in airway management, medical mistakes continue to be made, causing catastrophic complications to arise.

If you or a loved one feel you are the victim of a medical mistake, contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (800-403-7259). When you call, you will speak with an experienced Baltimore Medical Malpractice attorney absolutely FREE.

The attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced, caring professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. Call us today to receive a free, confidential consultation about your possible case. At The Yost Legal Group, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

 

Fetal Acidosis

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Before a baby is born, the fetus is completely dependent on the mother’s blood supply to receive oxygen and nutrients. These necessities are delivered from mother to child through the umbilical cord and placenta. If proper care is not taken by a medical professional during the labor and delivery process, the baby’s oxygen supply can become compromised. When a baby is suffering from oxygen deprivation, brain cells begin to die off and brain damage can be irreversible.

Fetal acidosis is a symptom of serious brain injuries caused by a severe lack of oxygen to a baby during labor and delivery (such as, Cerebral Palsy (CP), Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), and seizure disorders). Fetal acidosis is diagnosed by a lab test, (blood cord gas test) performed in the first few minutes of a newborn’s life, analyzing the pH level of the blood drawn from the umbilical cord artery and veins.  If the pH level of the cord blood sample is 7.0 or less, the baby has a low (acidic) cord pH and is diagnosed with fetal acidosis.  A low cord pH at birth is one of the most common indicators of a baby’s lack of oxygen during labor and delivery.

Birth injuries due to low oxygen supply (hypoxia) or no oxygen supply (anoxia, or asphyxiation) can be avoided by good medical care during labor and delivery, including routine monitoring of the baby (fetal movement and heart rate), the mother’s vital signs (maternal heart rate and maternal blood pressure), and uterine contractions during labor (how long the contractions last, how strong the contractions are and how close together the contractions occur).

If your child’s brain injury was caused by a medical mistake, the experienced Birth Injury lawyers at The Yost Legal Group are here to help.

Call The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529) for a FREE, confidential, no-obligation consultation. When you call, you will speak with a Baltimore Birth Injury attorney with real experience absolutely free. At The Yost Legal Group, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

Perforation of Small Intestine During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

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Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, commonly referred to as a “lap choly,” is a procedure that involves removing the gallbladder. A patient may need removal if the gallbladder is full of gallstones (cholelithiasis), inflamed, or infected (cholecystitis). When a lap choly is needed, laparoscopic techniques are used to perform this minimally invasive surgery with the assistance of a video camera and several thin instruments.

The laparoscopic incisions, each one about ½” in size, limit the surgeon’s view of the patient’s abdomen. This limited view during surgical dissection and electrocautery can be associated with serious complications. Several factors may play a role in causing these injuries, such as the complexity of the case and the experience of the surgeon.

Although injury to the common bile duct (the tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the small intestine) is one of the most serious complications of gall bladder surgery, injury to the small bowel (small intestine) can occur as a result of a medical provider’s incorrect use of surgical tools during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.  Perforation or laceration of the small intestine during lap choly can occur when the nearby wall of the small intestine is cut by a surgical tool or burned during electrocautery.  If left undetected and not quickly repaired, a hole in the small intestine can cause bile to leak into the abdomen and can lead to life-threatening infection (abscess, peritonitis and sepsis). The duodenum (upper section of the small intestine) or jejunum (the middle portion of the small intestine) are the two most likely sections of the small intestine to be negligently damaged during laparoscopic gall bladder surgery.

Before laparoscopy is performed on a patient, the patient must be properly evaluated, including a full clinical history and thorough clinical examination. If you would like to discuss your potential claim arising from an intestinal injury during laparoscopy, the attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination.

Call The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529) for a FREE, confidential, no-obligation consultation. At The Yost Legal Group, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

Placenta Previa and Hypoxic Brain Injury

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Placenta previa occurs when the placenta lies low in the uterus and partially or completely covers the cervix.  When this happens, the placenta is lying between the fetus and the birth canal, effectively blocking the baby’s delivery. Although placenta previa is quite common in the early weeks and months of pregnancy, it typically resolves as the pregnancy progresses and the placenta moves up and away from the cervix as the uterus expands.

However, placenta previa does not always resolve itself. It affects about 1 in 200 births, at which time it can create the risk of severe bleeding (hemorrhage) in the mother and lack of oxygen to the baby (hypoxia). When placenta previa is present near the end of pregnancy it almost always requires cesarean (c-section) delivery of the baby.

Placenta previa should always be suspected when bright red vaginal bleeding occurs during pregnancy, at which time an ultrasound should be ordered and the condition can be diagnosed by the ultrasound images.  If ultrasound confirms placenta previa is the cause of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, the proper course of treatment is to admit the patient to the hospital for monitoring and bedrest. If the bleeding does not stop, or if the fetal heartrate monitor indicates the baby is in distress, the pregnant mother will remain hospitalized and may receive blood transfusions and other treatments until the baby is delivered.

Lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain due to a ruptured placenta previa can cause serious brain damage. Birth asphyxia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy are brain injuries that are caused by oxygen deprivation. The treatment for these complications is limited due to the fact that most brain damage is permanent.

Our experienced attorneys fight for individuals who have been negatively impacted by the negligence of others.  If you would like to discuss your family’s potential claim arising from a placenta previa birth injury, the attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. For a free consultation, please call us at 1-800-YOSTLAW.

BLADDER INJURY DURING C-SECTION DELIVERY

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The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reports that Cesarean section (C-section) is the most common surgery performed in the United States. With more than 30% of deliveries resulting in caesarian section, it is important to be aware of childbirth-related injuries to the mother. Although surgery carries risks, bladder injury during cesarean delivery can be a direct result of medical negligence. A negligence claim related to C-section bladder damage may be filed for a number of reasons.

For example, if:

  • Injury, such as bladder laceration and/or ureter transection, occurs during the operation, but is not identified at the time of operation
  • The proper protocol was not taken for a woman who has had a cesarean section before (patients with prior cesarean deliveries are at significant risk for bladder injury at the time of the repeat cesarean delivery)
  • Timing of cesarean delivery was not properly handled by doctors (cesarean section performed at the time of the second stage of labor carries a significant risk for bladder injury)

The most common injury at the time of either obstetric or gynecologic surgery, such as a C-section, is a urologic injury, with the bladder being the most frequently damaged organ. Though not life-threatening when discovered at the time of the C-section, a bladder injury can be an extremely painful and unpleasant experience and lead to permanent injury such as loss of bladder retention, loss of bladder control,  urine leakage and a neurogenic bladder.  Treatment may require continuous bladder drainage through the use of a catheter and subsequent surgical procedures including fistula repair and bladder augmentation surgery.

If the bladder injury caused during a C-section is not discovered at the time of the C-section, the repair of the injury is delayed and this delay can be life-threatening.  If the bladder or ureters have been cut during C-section, serious symptoms will occur within just a few hours following the C-section, including blood in the urine, bloating of the abdomen, abdominal pain, abnormal urinalysis results (elevated BUN and creatinine levels) and infection, including peritonitis and sepsis, may develop.

If you or a loved one has experienced bladder complications during a cesarean section as a result of medical negligence, call The Yost Legal Group right away. If you have been a victim of a medical mistake, there is a limited time to file your claim. Call 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529) today to speak with an experienced Baltimore Birth Injury attorney for FREE.

When you call The Yost Legal Group, Baltimore, Maryland Medical Malpractice and Birth Injury law firm, you will speak with an experienced, compassionate attorney that will help you understand the details of your case and provide the answers you need.

When you trust The Yost Legal Group to represent you, we will never charge an attorney’s fee unless we achieve a recovery for you.

Every mother has the right to a safe, healthy and extraordinary childbirth experience. If your pregnancy had a bad outcome, call The Yost Legal Group today.

 

 

PREVENTABLE MEDICAL MISTAKES IN HOSPITALS

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Hospital-acquired conditions, also known as “never events”, are particularly awful medical mistakes that should not ever occur. Some examples of these preventable errors include:

  • Operating on the wrong place on the patient’s body
  • Discharging a newborn to the wrong parents
  • Leaving a foreign object, such as a scalpel or sponge, inside the body
  • Mismatched blood transfusion
  • Causing an air embolism during treatment of a patient

Unfortunately, not all medical mistakes are avoidable at all times. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported medical errors account for as many as 98,000 deaths per year. A more recent study specific to surgical errors conducted in 2013, found that more than 4,000 surgical “never events” occur annually in the United States.

Due to the fact that these events are preventable, health care organizations are attempting to get rid of them completely and health insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid, are no longer paying for costs related to hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). Also, many of these “never events” are being openly reported by the public. All of these strategies aim to inspire hospitals and medical professionals to accelerate the progress of patient safety.

Never events within hospitals can point to a major safety problem within an organization. It has been reported these error rates are much higher in the U.S. than in other developed countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Some states, such as Minnesota (the first state to pass a statute that required obligatory reporting), have enacted legislation requiring reporting of hospital-acquired conditions but not all states are required to do so. It has been up for debate whether or not required reporting of HACs has affected how frequently they occur.

As the term “never events” indicates, these events should under no circumstance be occurring however, they continue to occur. If you or a loved one feel you are the victim of a medical mistake contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (800-403-7259). When you call, you will speak with an experienced Baltimore Medical Malpractice attorney absolutely FREE.

The attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced, caring professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. Call us today to receive a free, confidential consultation about your possible case.

At The Yost Legal Group, we will investigate every detail of your situation at no cost to you, and fight hard to ensure that your rights are protected.

We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you will never pay an attorney’s fee up front, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case.

 

Prince George’s Hospital NICU Shut Down After Infants are Exposed to Dangerous Bacteria

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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, MD has been shut down following the discovery of a dangerous, and potentially deadly, form of bacteria. Infants at the NICU are currently being transferred to other hospitals in an effort to prevent the spread of bacterial infections. At this time, nine infant patients have been transferred out of the Prince George’s Hospital Center NICU.

Infants in the NICU may have been exposed to a dangerous bacterium called Pseudomonas. The presence of the Pseudomonas bacteria was discovered following two recent deaths of infants being held in the NICU.

Officials at the hospital made it clear that these two infant deaths have not officially been linked to the bacterial outbreak. However, thus far three infants in neonatal intensive care at the hospital have tested positive for Pseudomonas.

Pseudomonas is a dangerous form of bacteria that is often found in hospitals. Pseudomonas can live on the hands of hospital workers, as well as on tainted medical equipment. Proper sanitization measures can help prevent the spread of Pseudomonas and other dangerous bacteria.

Unfortunately, exposure to Pseudomonas and other forms of dangerous bacteria in hospitals is more common than you might believe. According the Centers for Disease Control, these types of bacterial infections impact thousands of hospital patients every year:

  • An estimated 51,000 healthcare-associated Pseudomonas infections occur in the United States each year.
  • Pseudomonas infections cause an estimated 400 fatalities every year.
  • More than 13% of Pseudomonas infections are estimated to be multi-drug resistant, meaning that traditional antibiotic treatments may be unable to help affected patients.

Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care are at an extremely high risk of suffering from infections and other diseases due to their weakened immune systems. Exposure to Pseudomonas could be deadly for these children. An investigation is ongoing to determine how the bacteria was introduced to the NCIU as well as how long it may have been present.

Hospital errors cause an estimated 250,000 deaths in the United States every year.

If you or a loved one suffered an injury, infection, or any other serious harm as a result of the negligence of a hospital or medical professional, The Yost Legal Group may be able to help.

Call us today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529) for a FREE, confidential consultation. When you call, you will speak with an experienced Baltimore Medical Malpractice attorney about your potential case. We will investigate every detail of your situation at no cost to you, and help provide the answers you seek.

The Yost Legal Group is made up of experienced attorneys ready to pursue your case with compassion and dedication. At The Yost Legal Group, you will never pay an attorney’s fee up front, and you owe us nothing unless we recover for you.

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