Medical Malpractice is Increasing In the US

Instances of death and long-term injury are growing in America, getting close to being declared as a serious national problem. A study conducted by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that roughly 98,000 patients may be killed every year across the US as a result of medical errors.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Broadly speaking, drifting away intentionally or carelessly from the accepted standards of medical care by a healthcare provider that causes harm to a patient is called medical malpractice. Medical malpractice can be the lack of treatment or improper treatment, misdiagnosis, an intentional delay in treatment, failure to perform correct follow-ups and errors in prescription.

You have a legal and civil right to claim compensation if you are suffering due to medical malpractice. Medical bills are immense and you deserve the appropriate treatment.  If you are suffering because someone made a mistake or erred in a medical diagnosis, you should be compensated appropriately. However, to get what is due to you, you need a qualified and experienced attorney. Such expert help will increase your chances of receiving your claim. This will not only benefit you individually, but will also raise awareness of medical malpractices and encourage medical practitioners to take the utmost care.

Solomon Neuhardt of Neuhardt Law Firm, P.C. is an outstanding Montana medical malpractice attorney.  If you are in need of assistance, please feel free to request a free consultation.

Levaquin, a quinolone antibiotic, has been linked to hundreds of cases related to tendonitis, serious tendon ruptures and injuries. This expensive drug is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and Ortho-McNeil and marketed by Walgreen Co. Eye-related problems have also been associated with this drug. This fact was concluded by researchers at Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and was featured in the September issue of Ophthalmology.

Levaquin, introduced in the US in 1997, is prescribed to treat bacterial infections in the lungs, skins, sinuses, kidneys, bladder, prostate and urinary tracts.

Action against Levaquin
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Levaquin in 1996. It took two years for the FDA to force Johnson & Johnson and Ortho-McNeil to issue a strong black-box warning of tendon damage and ruptures of the Achilles tendon on the label of this antibiotic. By this time thousands of people had already suffered needlessly from incapacitating injuries as well as undergone surgery and even extensive rehab program. Many Lavaquin users never really recovered from tendon injuries.

The labels failed to provide adequate warning, especially that chances of tendon injury was tripled for people older than 60 and people undergoing corticosteroid therapy.  Respected institutions, such as the IDSA Infectious Diseases Society of America and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have asked major retailers to reassess the promotion of this drug and/or candidly explain the side-effects.

There were around 1,044 tendon injuries and about 282 reports of tendon ruptures associated with the drug between 1997 and 2005. Hundreds of Levaquin lawsuits are already pending in American courts.

Levaquin: Side Effects
• Snap or pop in a tendon area
• Bruising right after an injury in a tendon area
• Inability to move the affected area or bear weight
• Pain, inflammation or swelling in a tendon area
• Arthralgia
• Nausea
• Pyrexia
• Dyspnoea
• Asthenia
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Pain in extremity
• Myalgia
• Pain

If you have used Levaquin and are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should seek medical help immediately.

Patients may also experience some long-term side effects, such as:
• Granulomatous liver disease
• Gastrooesophageal reflux disease
• Lymphadenopathy
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Hypoaesthesia

Levaquin Tendon Personal Injury Lawsuit
If you or a loved one is suffering due to the side effects of Levaquin, you should contact a Levaquin tendon injury attorney immediately. It is your legal right to receive compensation for having suffered due to someone else’s negligence.

If you are in need of a personal injury attorney in Billings, MT, please contact Solomon Neuhardt for a free consultation.

Did you know that your dental adhesive could be the source of many medical problems? In America more than 30 lawsuits have been filed in the multidistrict litigation against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturers of the Fixodent and Super PoliGrip brands. These cases were filed on behalf of individuals suffering from neuropathy and serious injuries from denture cream poisoning.

Denture Creams and Its Side Effects
Denture cream is a kind of adhesive that helps secure false teeth to the mouth comfortably for a few hours, depending upon the user and his activities. The infamous zinc content in the cream is Fixodent and Poligrip, which act as bonding agents. At the same time, the excessive use of zinc can lead to copper depletion in the body and subsequently cause many other neurological symptoms such as tingling of hands and numbness. Consumers of these creams have experienced neuropathy and other physical problems. Common symptoms that have been noticed are:

• Numbness or tingling in the feet, legs, hands and/or arms
• Tendency to stumble/fall down
• Extreme pain
• Significant loss of strength or ability to move legs or feet, arms and hands
• Slowdown in walking pace
• Lack of balance/instability
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Pain
• Weakness
• Loss of sensation
• Paralysis
• Difficulty in breathing
• Anemia

In some reported cases patients who suffer from zinc poisoning are confined to wheelchairs. Higher amount of zinc could lead to extreme weakness and other neuron symptoms. If not detected early and treated, these effects of zinc poisoning can be permanent.

Zinc Poisoning and Treatment
Zinc poisoning from denture creams is increasingly becoming a major health hazard. There are about 35 million Americans who wear dentures. Manufactures of these creams have provided little or no relevant warnings on the packets. Tests for zinc levels in the blood can determine promptly if a zinc overdose has resulted in poisoning.

Seek Professional Help
The injuries due to these dental creams can be prevented, but the manufacturers have time and again failed to provide warnings on product labels. Such callousness has left many people facing huge medical bills and being out of work. Manufacturers also fail to provide any details regarding the exact nature of zinc or its amount in their products.

If you or someone that you know is facing such issues, contact a dental cream poisoning attorney immediately. Only this will ensure that you get the right compensation. If your   neuropathy or neurological problems are due to these poisonous denture creams, claiming for these damages is your right.

Please feel free to contact Solomon Neuhardt, an attorney in Billings, MT for a free consultion to discuss your case.

Dogs are considered man’s best friend. However, some dogs are unpredictable, can become aggressive and bite you for no apparent reason. Almost five million people suffer because of dog bites every year in the US. Many of these are due to the negligence of dog owners. Fortunately, a dog bite is regarded as personal injury as per the law in various states and is a liability for the owner.  If you have been bitten, you should contact a Montana personal injury attorney.

What Immediate Actions to Take in Case of a Dog Bite
An important fact about dog bites is that it is not limited to permanent disfigurement or injury. It can also lead to emotional trauma.
Immediate Actions:
• If the dog’s mouth is foaming, it is probably suffering from rabies. See a physician at the earliest.
• If possible, try to know the breed of the dog. It helps the physician assess the extent of the injury.
• Don’t quarrel with the dog’s owner.
• Report the incident to the police.
• Contact a personal injury attorney.

What You Should Know to Get Compensation for Hospital Bills
If you want to file a lawsuit against the dog owner, ensure that you have his/her contact information. It is important to know if the owner was aware of the aggressive behavior of the dog (or its breed). You should also enquire if the dog was given the required immunization on time. In case the owner incited the dog deliberately to scare you, you have a 100% chance of recouping the hospital bills by filing a lawsuit. A dog can also harm or injure you with its claws, in which case you have the right to recover damages.

Lawsuits against Dog Owners
It is depressing to know that of all the dog bite cases across the country, only one out of three have been reported. All states have laws governing dog attacks. However, there is some difference in the laws of the various states. What is common is that all these laws identify the dog owner to be liable for the injury. Most laws have been designed in a manner that the dog owner has limited defense in case of negligence.

So, if you have been bitten by a dog, or someone you know has suffered this trauma, the best thing to do is to contact a lawyer. A dog bite lawyer will ensure that you receive the maximum in damages.  Solomon Neuhardt is a top-notch Montana Personal Injury attorney.  Contact him for a free consultation today.