The family of Miriam “Feenee” Hadley received a $450,000 settlement from the federal government in a medical malpractice case focused on the death of Miriam after a surgery to remove an infected boil. The settlement represents a measure of compensation for her surviving spouse, but the senseless death of Miriam Hadley will linger. This is a…
When I first heard on Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered makers of generic injectable Phenergan to strengthen warnings about the medication’s potential to cause gangrene when improperly administered, I was pleased. Then I thought, “That was too long in coming.” The medication in products like Phenergan — which Wyeth has stopped…
The jobs soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and National Guardsmen do require them to take great personal risks. These brave men and women too often get injured or killed in the line of duty. None should face risks from their superiors or civilian colleagues, however. Members of the military do not surrender their basic…
An ongoing investigation of improper prostate cancer treatments at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Philadelphia has revealed that nearly all of the men who underwent a radiotherapy procedure received doses that either did them no good or caused potential harm. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this week that cases of under- and overdosing radiation for veterans…
Last Tuesday, a number of families that have been adversely affected by malfunctioning medical equipment gathered on Capitol Hill to communicate their support for the Medical Device Safety Act. As it is proposed, this bill would allow consumers to file lawsuits against their devices’ manufacturers. According to one such recipient of a faulty medical device,…