For years the medical and insurance lobby in Tennessee has been trying to place financial caps on medical malpractice cases. In attempting to sell this legislation the lobbyist argued that it would stop “frivolous” lawsuits. Our legislature, however, realised that a cap would do nothing to prevent frivolous cases. It…
Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice
FDA Recalls Medtronic Infusion Pump (SynchoMed EL Implantable) – Dangerous Device Causes Injury or Death
Medtronic, a medical device manufacturer who has formerly warranted a dangerous device warning in the pages of this Tennessee Law Blog, has been issued a FDA Class I Recall for a series of its defective infusion pumps. (For explanation of why defective infusion pumps are dangerous, check out Tennessee Law…
Dangerous Medical Device – Infusion Pump Recall
Cardinal Health, an $87 billion global manufacturer of medical equipment, announced today the voluntary recall of all Alaris Pump modules shipped prior to September 27th. These Alaris Pump modules (also known as the Medley Pump module) have dangerously defective spring mechanisms which can make these defective medical devices dangerous and…
Medical Malpractice and Hospital Errors
With the Vanderbilt bacterial meningitis scare, debates about banning smoking in Nashville’s parks, cancer studies linking Tennesseans’ cigarette smoking to our rising number of cancer deaths, nationwide recall after Medtronic defibrillator deaths, and a marathon run through Tennessee to raise awareness about Ataxia-telangiectasia–this is already a hefty health news week…
Birth issues
Recently, my good friend F. Davis Morse at the Consumer Justice Group had an honor even greater than the day he passed the bar exam, his winning multimillion dollar settlements, or his Supreme Court victory: He became a father. But what should have been the happiest day of his life…
No Malpractice Crisis in Tennessee
For the past few years, the insurance industry has claimed that there is a medical malpractice litigation crisis in Tennessee. However, after reviewing the statistics on medical malpractice lawsuits, it appears the “crisis” is a myth. According to a recent article in the Tennessean, most medical malpractice claims closed in…
Tennessee Family Compensated for Medical Malpractice
Joseph Palanki was eleven months old when he underwent surgery to reduce scrotal swelling. Along with taking away the inflammation, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center surgeon removed 90% of the infant’s bladder. Joseph Palanki has undergone several treatments since and still cannot urinate without a catheter. Unwilling to go unremunerated…
Preventable Birth Injuries
One example of birth injuries caused by trauma to the newborn is Erb’s palsy (sometimes called Brachial Plexus palsy). In essence The brachial plexus is a nerve bundle located in the shoulder region that controls muscles in the shoulder, arms and hands. Sometimes during delivery a child’s should can become…