Category: Hot Topics

Bacteria-Tainted Syringes Causing Serious Injury To Patients

More lawsuits have been filed over bacteria-tainted syringes. Sierra Pre-Filled of Angier, North Carolina makes the syringes, filled with heparin or saline are used to flush IV or catheter lines. In December, bacteria-contaminated pre-filled syringes sickened 20 outpatients of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. 14 of those patients required hospitalization from five to nine days. All already have compromised immune systems from cancer and other ailments and many were undergoing chemotherapy. Quick investigative work linked the syringes to the bacteria,?Serratia marcescensOn December 20, 2007, the FDA announced AM2 PAT, Inc., initiated a nationwide recall of one lot of Pre-Filled Heparin Lock Flush Solution USP (5 mL in 12 mL Syringes), Lot # 070926H. Then the FDA in January expanded the recall to include all lots and sizes the company makes of heparin and saline pre-filled syringes after finding they too were contaminated with Serratia marcescens. The heparin IV flush syringe contamination was later confirmed by the CDC after checking several unopened syringes of this product.

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Over-The-Counter Drops To Soften Ear Wax Causes Ear Damage

A new study said that some over-the-counter drops meant to soften ear wax can damage the ear and shouldn’t be used. “Patients often complain that wax is blocking their ears and is causing discomfort and sometimes deafness,” said Dr. Sam Daniel of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. He said they can cause severe inflammation and damage to the eardrum and inner ear. “Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use. Our study shows that in a well-established animal model, one such product, Cerumenex, is in fact, toxic to the cells of the ear,” Daniel said.

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90 Day Written Notice Requirement For Slip And Falls In Municipal Sidewalks

Cases involving falls on defective city or town sidewalks have short notice periods for any claim against the city. Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 13a-149,written notice with certain required information must be given to the clerk of the city, town or borough responsible for maintaining the sidewalk, within 90 days of the incident. Because of the short time deadline, it is important to retain an attorney immediately. If proper written notice is not filed within 90 days from the date of the injury, you will be prohibited from bringing a lawsuit against the responsible town or city.

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Current 11 Hour Truck Driver Rule Maintained

Rather than endorsing a court order sought by consumer advocates requring one less truck driving hour behind the wheel, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a final interim rule maintaining the current 11 hour truck driving limit. Consumer advocates had pressed for the new rule because the current 11 hour restriction allows for fatigued truck drivers to continue to drive their trucks on our highways and roadways placing the general public at risk. The FMCSA claims that the agency’s data does not support the notion that there is an increase in truck accidents during the truck driver’s 11th hour of driving.  It would be very interesting to see the agency’s data and how the data was created for the purpose of assessing its credibility.

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Airplane Runway Near Collisions

The National Transportation Safety Board has released dramatic animation of two runway near-collisions this year to show what the agency says is the need for improvements in runway safety.

The NTSB animation shows two planes nearly colliding at the San Francisco International Airport in May.The first animation shows a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 and a United Airlines Airbus A320 coming within 230 feet of colliding on the runway at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida in July. The animation includes audio from the air traffic controller, who can be heard yelling, “Stop, stop, stop!” to the United plane as the Delta aircraft attempts to land. The second animation shows a May incident at San Francisco International Airport in California in which a Republic Airlines jet takes off, coming within 35 feet of a SkyWest Airlines commuter turboprop that has just landed. To view the video, click here.

A Congressional Report was recently released stating that there is a?high risk?of a runway collision.? The contents of the report will be more fully blogged about shortly.

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