Tag: patient safety

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

Posted on by YostLaw

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.

The Yost Legal Group – Experienced Attorneys Dedicated to Protecting Your Rights

Recent Study Finds Medical Errors are Third Leading Cause of Death in the United States

Posted on by YostLaw

Even though medical professionals strive to provide the highest standard of care to their patients, thousands of medical mistakes take place every day in the US. Medical mistakes occur regularly due to communication breakdowns, diagnostic errors, poor judgment, and inadequate skill. These mistakes can directly result in patient harm and death, and are not identified on a person’s death certificate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compiles an annual list of the most common causes of death in the United States. The list is created using death certificates filled out by physicians, funeral directors, medical examiners, and coroners. However, a major limitation of the death certificate is that it relies on assigning an International Classification of Disease (ICD) code to the cause of death. As a result, causes of death not associated with an ICD code, such as medical error by a healthcare professional or medical equipment failure or hospital system failure, are not captured.

A new study published in a respected medical journal finds that hundreds of thousands of patients are fatally injured every year due to preventable medical mistakes. This study estimates that patient harm caused by medical errors is responsible for more than 250,000 deaths every year.

To put this figure into perspective, it would mean that medical care itself is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with medical errors accounting for nearly 1 out of every 10 fatalities in the U.S annually.

The doctors who conducted this study say that 250,000 patient deaths per year is actually a conservative estimate. The real number of patient deaths may in fact be much higher, due to the fact that medical errors leading to fatalities have been severely underreported for years.

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 (800-967-8529). 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.

The Yost Legal Group – Experienced Attorneys Dedicated to Protecting Your Rights

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