Previous Posts
- This blog has moved
- Avandia Given Positive Reviews Due to $$$$$?
- The FDA and Drug Approval
- J&J Planned Profit from Risky, Unapproved Uses of ...
- What Are the Different Classes of Drug Recalls?
- What Is the Difference Between Class Action and Mu...
- First Lawsuit for Avandia Filed In Santa Clara Cou...
- Our Involvement in the Yaz®/Yasmin® Litigation
- What Is An FDA Black Box Warning?
- What Is a Drug Recall?
Archives
- April 2008
- May 2008
- May 2009
- June 2009
- July 2009
- August 2009
- September 2009
- October 2009
- November 2009
- December 2009
- January 2010
- February 2010
- March 2010
- April 2010
Click Here to View
Our Other Site
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Doctor Admits Giving Patients the Wrong Radiation Doses
A Philadelphia doctor, who has been accused of botching dozens of prostate cancer surgeries at a Veterans Administration hospital, admitted Monday that he sometimes missed his target when implanting radioactive seeds, leaving patients with incorrect dosages.
Dr. Gary Kao said these mistakes are commonplace when you are aiming seeds at the walnut-sized prostate, which sits near the bladder and rectum. In a statement made by Kao, he stated, “I did not believe our procedures were botched. I’ve always acted in the best interest of the patient. I refuse to become a scapegoat for the scandal at the VA Medical Center.” After being questioned by Senator Arlen Specter, Kao acknowledged that he never informed patients when he missed the prostate or delivered insufficient doses. However, he maintains that the mistakes did not necessarily amount to substandard care.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found that 92 of 115 men treated in the brachytherapy program at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia received incorrect doses of the radiation seeds, often because they landed in nearby organs or tissue surrounding the prostate. Kao performed the majority of these procedures while under a contract with the University of Pennsylvania.
The brachytherapy program at the VA Medical Center has been suspended. A review of 12 other VA hospitals where the procedure is performed showed a handful of problems, but none on the same magnitude as the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.
Kao has stopped performing the surgeries and last week took a leave from the University of Pennsylvania.
For more information see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/health/30veterans.htm?partner+rss&emc=rss
Dr. Gary Kao said these mistakes are commonplace when you are aiming seeds at the walnut-sized prostate, which sits near the bladder and rectum. In a statement made by Kao, he stated, “I did not believe our procedures were botched. I’ve always acted in the best interest of the patient. I refuse to become a scapegoat for the scandal at the VA Medical Center.” After being questioned by Senator Arlen Specter, Kao acknowledged that he never informed patients when he missed the prostate or delivered insufficient doses. However, he maintains that the mistakes did not necessarily amount to substandard care.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found that 92 of 115 men treated in the brachytherapy program at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia received incorrect doses of the radiation seeds, often because they landed in nearby organs or tissue surrounding the prostate. Kao performed the majority of these procedures while under a contract with the University of Pennsylvania.
The brachytherapy program at the VA Medical Center has been suspended. A review of 12 other VA hospitals where the procedure is performed showed a handful of problems, but none on the same magnitude as the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.
Kao has stopped performing the surgeries and last week took a leave from the University of Pennsylvania.
For more information see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/health/30veterans.htm?partner+rss&emc=rss
Labels: doctors, prostate, radiation, University of Pennsylvania, VA Medical Center
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
12:26 PM
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Physicians Often Fail to Inform Patients of Abnormal Test Results
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that physicians frequently fail to report abnormal test results to patients. The study included 5,434 patients, ages 50 to 69, from 23 primary care practices in the Midwest and on the West Coast. Researchers looked at various tests such as cholesterol blood work, mammograms, Pap smears, and screening tests for colon cancer. The results proved that only 1 out of 14 abnormal test results were reported to patients.
“Failure to report abnormal test results can lead to serious even lethal consequences for the patient,” said Dr. Lawrence Casalino, the leader of the study, and chief of the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. “If you’ve had tests, whether it be a blood test, or some kind of X-ray, or ultrasound, don’t assume because you haven’t heard from your physician that the result is normal.”
Failing to inform patients can lead to malpractice lawsuits and increased medical costs, researchers said. Thus according to researchers, patients should make a conscience effort to follow up with their physicians after having tests performed.
For more information see: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622163031.htm
“Failure to report abnormal test results can lead to serious even lethal consequences for the patient,” said Dr. Lawrence Casalino, the leader of the study, and chief of the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. “If you’ve had tests, whether it be a blood test, or some kind of X-ray, or ultrasound, don’t assume because you haven’t heard from your physician that the result is normal.”
Failing to inform patients can lead to malpractice lawsuits and increased medical costs, researchers said. Thus according to researchers, patients should make a conscience effort to follow up with their physicians after having tests performed.
For more information see: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622163031.htm
Labels: blood tests, doctors, malpractice, test results
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
2:25 PM
Friday, May 29, 2009
Cancer Drug Erases Fingerprints
A Singapore man undergoing treatment was detained by U.S. immigration officials after the drug he was taking caused his fingerprints to disappear. The man, identified as Mr. S, was eventually allowed to enter the United States after officials determined he did not pose a threat to security.
According to Mr. S’s oncologist, Eng-Huat Tan of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, the patient had neck and head cancer that spread. Although Mr. S responded well to chemotherapy, to prevent a recurrence doctors placed him on Capecitabine, a drug marketed in the United States as Xeloda. One of the side effects of the drug is hand-foot syndrome. It causes the skin o n the hands and feet to peel. Eventually over time, the drug erases fingerprints.
“It is uncertain when the onset of fingerprint loss will take place in susceptible patients who are taking Capecitabine”, Dr. Eng-Huat Tan wrote. “However, it is possible that there may be a growing number of such patients as Mr. S. These patients should prepare adequately before traveling to avert the inconvenience that Mr. S was put through.”
For more information see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8064332.stm
According to Mr. S’s oncologist, Eng-Huat Tan of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, the patient had neck and head cancer that spread. Although Mr. S responded well to chemotherapy, to prevent a recurrence doctors placed him on Capecitabine, a drug marketed in the United States as Xeloda. One of the side effects of the drug is hand-foot syndrome. It causes the skin o n the hands and feet to peel. Eventually over time, the drug erases fingerprints.
“It is uncertain when the onset of fingerprint loss will take place in susceptible patients who are taking Capecitabine”, Dr. Eng-Huat Tan wrote. “However, it is possible that there may be a growing number of such patients as Mr. S. These patients should prepare adequately before traveling to avert the inconvenience that Mr. S was put through.”
For more information see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8064332.stm
Labels: cancer, chemotherapy, doctors, fingers, Singapore
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
9:54 AM