Rate of Reports of Negative Drug Reactions Increases

According to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the number of official reports of bad reactions to prescription drugs has drastically risen over the past ten years.

Led by the University of Maryland’s Dr. Sheila Weiss-Smith, researchers looked at data from an FDA database which was introduced more than forty years ago. They found that more than half of the reports in this database that involved “adverse events” thought to be caused by medical products and medications were from the last decade.

Each year, the FDA receives about 500,000 reports of health problems and deaths caused by prescription drugs and other medical devices. Between 2000 and 2010, the rate of reports related to medical products increased by more than 11 percent each year. Over that ten year period, the number of reports totaled 2.2, which makes up roughly 55 percent of the entire database.

Dr. Weiss-Smith noted that it is not easy determining why the number of reports continues to grow. It is also difficult to approximate the exact number of problems caused by medical devices and drugs, since only manufacturers are required to report adverse effects to the FDA. Reports made by patients, doctors and other parties are on a voluntary basis and are not required by the FDA.

Unsafe medications and defective medical devices can cause serious injury and even death. If you or a loved one has been hurt by a negative reaction to medication or defective medical product, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced product liability attorneys at Silberstein, Awad, & Miklos, P.C. have helped clients with Queens product liability, Brooklyn product liability, Bronx product liability, Manhattan product liability and Long Island product liability cases. Call today for your free case evaluation.

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Heart Attack Twice as Likely for TIA Patients

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently found that people who suffer a transient-ischemic attack (TIA) are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack later in life as those who have not experienced a TIA, which can also be referred to as a “mini stroke” or “warning stroke”.

For the study, researchers led by Dr. Robert D. Brown, Jr., a neurology department chair at the Mayo Clinic, looked at data on more than 450 patients who had suffered a TIA between 1985 and 1994. Of the group, which had an average age of 72, sixty-six percent had high blood pressure, according to their medical records. Researchers also found that more than 50 percent of the study group smoked, and 75 percent were taking medication to prevent blood clots.

The study, which was published in the March 24^th online issue of Stroke, found that people who had suffered a mini stroke had a 1 percent risk of experiencing a heart attack each year of the average ten years of follow-up; double that of a person who never had a TIA.

In addition, Brown and his research team found that the average time between a mini stroke and a heart attach was about 5 years. They also found that for people younger than 60 who had suffered a TIA, the risk of heart attack was 15 times greater than those who never had a mini stroke.

According to the American Heart Association, a TIA occurs when an artery is temporarily clogged by a blood clot, preventing part of the brain from receiving the blood it needs. Symptoms of a TIA are similar to that of a stroke, however, they are only temporary and resolve within minutes or a few hours. TIA symptoms should not be ignored and a suspected TIA should be treated immediately by medical professionals.

The American Heart Association provides these symptoms of TIA:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Stroke is the third leading killer in the U.S. following after heart disease and cancer. If a doctor or hospital failed to diagnose or appropriately treat your stroke, call or email the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. for your free case consultation. We have helped clients with Queens stroke malpractice, Bronx stroke malpractice, Brooklyn stroke malpractice, Manhattan stroke malpractice and Long Island stroke malpractice cases.

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Multivitamins Do Not Lower Cancer, Heart Disease Risk

A recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found that taking a multivitamin does not lower the risk of cancer or heart disease death in older adults.

Song-Yi Park, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, along with her team of researchers, studied more than 82,000 men and almost 100,000 women with an average age of 60. The group included both multivitamin users and non-users.

Researchers looked at how many of the 180,000 people died over an 11 year period of follow-up, in addition to the cause of death. They found that death rates were the same for both multivitamin users and non-users, with 6 per 100 people dying from heart disease, 5 per 100 dying from cancer, and 4 per 100 dying from other causes.

According to the National Institutes of Health, doctors should only prescribe multivitamins to patients that require additional vitamins because they are unable to adequately absorb vitamins from food, or because they cannot consume enough food to get a sufficient amount of vitamins. This study suggests that multivitamins do not prevent cancer or heart disease-related deaths; although many multivitamin users believe they are lowering their risk of such diseases by taking them.

The American Cancer Society reports that cancer causes about 560,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, while heart disease is responsible for roughly 616,000 deaths. If you or a loved one was hurt or died as a result of delayed diagnosis or treatment of cancer or heart disease, call or email the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. One of our experienced medical malpractice lawyers will review your case free of charge and answer any questions you may have.

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New Recommendations for Car Seat Use

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should be kept in rear-facing car seats until they reach age two, or until height and weight specifications set by the manufacturer are met.

These new guidelines, which will be published in the April issue of Pediatrics, replace previous recommendations that suggested rear-facing car seats be used only for children less than one year of age or under 20 pounds.

The publication states that the death rates due to automobile accidents in children younger than 16 years of age dropped roughly 45 percent from 1997 to 2009, however, motor vehicle accidents still top the list as the leading cause of death in children 4 years and older.

Report author Dr. Dennis Durbin, a pediatric emergency physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, notes that in the event of an accident, rear-facing car seats provide better support to the spine, head and neck of infants and young children.

Durbin also points out that parents should not interpret the new guidelines to mean that their child should be placed in a front-facing car seat immediately after their second birthday. It is important to take into consideration a child’s height and weight, keeping toddlers that are small for their age in rear-facing car seats until the requirements set by the manufacturer are reached, and switching to front-facing car seats sooner for bigger children.

As for forward-facing car seat use, the new guidelines recommend these seats be used as long as possible until a child’s height and weight reach the maximums set by the car seat manufacturer. Booster seats, which keep the seatbelt in the proper position, should also be used until a child reaches a height of 4 feet 9 inches. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that children under age 13 ride in the backseat to lower their risk of injury should an accident occur.

The auto accident lawyers at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. have successfully represented hundreds of clients injured in collisions in New York City and Long Island. If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of crash, call or e-mail us today. One of our experienced auto collision attorneys will review your case free of charge.

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Understaffed Hospitals Mean More Patient Deaths

According to a recent study published in the March 17^th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, when hospitals are short nurses, patients have a higher risk of death.

Lead by Jack Needleman, a professor of health services at the University of California Los Angeles’ School of Public Health, the study's researchers examined nearly 200,000 admissions at a large hospital with high staffing goals. The admission time frame included roughly 177,000 shifts of nurses in 43 units at the hospital.

Needleman and the other authors of the study found that patient mortality rose by 2 percent when hospital units were understaffed. In addition, patients admitted to the hospital for the average three nursing shifts had a 6 percent greater risk of mortality when all three shifts were understaffed. When the hospital experienced a surge of admissions creating more of a demand for nurses, the risk of mortality rose 4 percent for patients.

Considering the findings of this study, researchers suggest that hospitals currently focused on cutting costs by short-staffing units reassess their goals to include patient safety as a priority. Needleman and his co-authors also recommend implementing new ways to handle admission and transfer surges so each patient can receive proper care.

An increased risk of death for patients as a result of hospital understaffing is a reality throughout the country. Many patients in need of immediate medical attention do not get the care and treatment they require because hospitals often fail to properly staff their units. If you or a loved one was seriously hurt or died as a result of hospital negligence, call or email the injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for a free consultation. We have helped clients with Brooklyn hospital malpractice, Bronx hospital malpractice, Queens hospital malpractice, Manhattan hospital malpractice and Long Island hospital malpractice fight for the justice they deserve.

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Risk of Stroke, Heart Disease Lowered with Potassium Consumption

A recent study published online in this month's edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that people who consume more potassium have a reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The study, which was lead by Dr. Pasquale Strazzullo, a professor of medicine at Naples Medical School in Italy, analyzed 11 studies which included 247,510 people. Strazzullo and her research team looked at data about potassium and heart disease, and examined what the men and women recalled consuming in the past day.

Researchers found that those study participants who consumed 1.64 grams or more of potassium each day reduced their risk of stroke by 21 percent, as well as reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease. In other words, by eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, the risk of stroke and heart disease can be significantly lowered, according to Strazzullo.

Foods rich in potassium include fish, poultry, dairy, and fruits and vegetables, with sweet potatoes and tomato paste providing the most potassium, ounce for ounce.

If you or a loved one has had a heart attack or stroke and have questions about the quality of the medical care received, call or email the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. for answers. We have helped clients with Queens medical malpractice, Bronx medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases. Together we will continue our fight against FRIVOLOUS DEFENSES and DECEPTIVE DEFENSES.

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