Mississippi Injury Lawyer Blog

Cement Truck Crashes Into Memphis Funeral Procession Killing One Woman

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:58:01 -0600

Police in Memphis say they are continuing to investigate a deadly accident that involved an out of control cement truck crushing two nearby cars. The terrible accident left one woman dead and the occupants of the other car with serious injuries.

Police say the accident took place on Third Street in downtown Memphis on a Sunday afternoon. The street was crowded at the time and many witnesses say they are surprised the accident wasn't worse. Authorities say the accident started when a funeral procession that was going heading down nearby Shelby Drive brought traffic to a sudden stop. The quick stop was a problem for the heavy concrete truck.

Witnesses say the driver of the concrete mixer was not paying attention and failed to see the stopped cars until it was too late. At that point, the driver tried to stop his giant truck but when he slammed on the brakes it caused the cement inside the truck to shift rapidly and ultimately tip the vehicle over. When the truck fell, it landed on top of two nearby vehicles, a red truck and a silver Nissan Maxima. The woman in the backseat of the truck was killed instantly. There were several people in the Nissan at the time of the accident and, miraculously, no one in that car died.

Police say they have so far ticketed the driver of the cement truck for failing to maintain control of his vehicle. Investigators say they are continuing to piece together the events of that afternoon, and if they discover that the driver was negligent there could be more criminal charges handed down.

The tragedy surrounding the recent Memphis crash raises tough choices for the woman's surviving family members. They not only have to pay for the woman's funeral expenses, but they then must decide what to do about holding the responsible parties accountable for the woman's death. Wrongful death cases arise in cases just like this, where someone is killed due to the negligence of another person, company or organization.

While such suits involve a person's death, it's important to understand that a wrongful death case is a civil matter and not a criminal prosecution. The wrongful death suits exist because the person who suffered the terrible harm is no longer alive to bring suit against the responsible parties. Wrongful death cases permit close family members to sue in place of the deceased victim, allowing them to collect compensation for the harm caused to their loved one. Wrongful death suits work to provide compensation to the family for the financial loss of a loved one as well as for emotional companionship and other harms suffered due to the negligence of the responsible party.

Mississippi Man Dies after Crash with Drunk Driver

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:50:39 -0600

Mississippi Highway Patrol has announced that a 91-year-old man from Natchez, Mississippi, died last month in a terrible car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver. Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Rusty Boyd said that John H. Buckles died after his truck was hit from behind on U.S. 84 and then rolled into a ditch.

Police say that the accident happened at 7:23 p.m. near the Adams County Correctional Center. Mr. Buckles was driving westbound in the far right lane when another truck driven by 30-year-old Cameron Collier smashed directly into the back of Buckle's pickup.

Officers say the force of the accident was so great that Buckle's truck was thrown off the roadway. Once the truck left the road it rolled several times before coming to a rest at the bottom of a ditch, upside down. Emergency responders called for an airlift for Buckles who was taken to the Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana but sadly died along the way.

Police say Collier was unhurt in the accident, though a passenger was injured and had to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. Officers at the time suspected that alcohol was involved in the crash and a later blood test confirmed Collier was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Collier has since been charged with driving under the influence and is awaiting criminal prosecution.

It's devastating when someone dies due to the carelessness or irresponsibility of another person. Losing a loved one is always hard, but especially when that person's death was entirely preventable. In Mississippi, if a family member dies because of the negligence of another person, that person's loved ones are able to bring a civil lawsuit to recover monetary damages for the death of their family member.

Mississippi Code Annotated Section 11-7-13 deals with wrongful death claims and makes clear that family members are allowed to bring a suit for financial compensation against negligent parties. Mississippi law says such suits exist so that family members are able to recover damages that "the jury may determine to be just." This means things such as medical expenses, hospital bills, pain and suffering, funeral expenses, lost earnings, lost future earnings, loss due to companionship and even punitive damages can be collected from the responsible party.

Governors Highway Safety Association Says Motorcycle Accident Deaths Up Dramatically In 2012

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:42:41 -0600

Some very worrisome data has experts afraid that 2012 is on track to become the deadliest year yet for motorcycle accidents. The government has been compiling statistics, which indicate that in the first nine months of 2012, a little over 3,900 people died in motorcycle crashes across the country.

While 3,900 is already a large number, the last three months of the year still need to be tabulated before a final figure for 2012 is reached. At the same point in 2011 there were nine percent fewer deaths, a worryingly fast rise in fatal motorcycle crashes. Experts say that by projecting those same numbers out over the last quarter indicates that the total number of motorcycle fatalities could breach the 5,000 mark for the first time ever.

One of the things that is most surprising to safety experts is that the rise in motorcycle fatalities flies in the face of a general decline in deadly auto accidents. For years now the number of people killed on America's roadways has been on the decline. The number of fatal tractor-trailer accidents is down, the number of passenger vehicle deaths is at a record low, even the number of alcohol-related crashes has dropped to record low levels.

Despite all this good news, motorcycle accidents remain not only stubbornly high, but are increasingly dangerous. Researchers say that over the past 15 years, the number of motorcycle deaths have increased in 14 of those years. Additionally, in that same time frame the number of motorcycle fatalities has almost doubled while the number of passenger vehicle deaths has dropped by more than 20 percent.

No one really knows why the number of motorcycle deaths is on the rise, though there are some ideas. For one thing, the weather has generally been warm in 2012, with a relatively mild winter across much of the country. This good weather combines dangerously with other factors to increase the number of motorcyclists on the road. High gas prices and a somewhat better economy also led more people to purchase motorcycles, creating more riders and thus more opportunities for deadly accidents.

Sadly, one of the largest contributors to fatal motorcycle accidents is head injury. While all cyclists are able to sustain a bad head injury, those without helmets are at exponentially greater risk. The NHTSA says that in 2010, more than 700 people who died in motorcycle accidents would have lived had they been wearing a safety helmet. Studies indicate that if a motorcyclist is wearing a helmet at the time of a collision that rider's risk of death is reduced by 37 percent.

Some other injuries often encountered in motorcycle accidents include severely broken bones, especially legs, arms, shoulders and hands. The joints around a rider's hips, knees and elbows are also vulnerable to breakage in serious accidents when riders are thrown from their bikes. Road rash and other damage to a rider's skin is also common. Though serious injuries can occur regardless of safety precautions, a rider dramatically reduces the risk of such injuries by wearing a helmet, riding jacket and other safety gear.

Article Reveals Financial Benefit Of Medical Complications

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:26:49 -0600

Though there's been a lot of talk about the need for hospitals and other medical providers to make serious changes to reduce the instances of patients dying from complications, one thing that has often been left out of the conversation is whether the hospitals might have a disincentive to make such badly needed changes. A recent study that will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked into the issue and came up with some scary conclusions.

The study, done by doctors with Harvard Medical School, found that complications that arise from surgeries and other medical procedures could actually help boost a hospital's bottom line. Specifically, the study found that infections and strokes that result from medical procedures are more than twice as beneficial to a hospital, in financial terms, than if an operation goes off without a hitch.

Researchers combed through records associated with more than 30,000 different surgical operations performed by doctors at the Texas Health hospital network, based in Dallas. The study found that on average, those procedures that ended in complication made the hospital nearly $16,000. Surgeries that went perfectly only resulted in $7,600 in net profit for the hospital system. The authors also noted that some specialties were more lucrative than others, specifically spinal surgeries, brain surgeries and cardiothoracic procedures.

The people behind the article say their intention in studying the matter was to reveal just how hard a problem reducing medical complications can be when hospitals have a very real incentive not to make even simple changes. The authors say they first got the idea to investigate finances after being puzzled why so few hospitals had implemented simple procedures like a surgical checklist, which had been shown to dramatically reduce instances of surgical error. They thought that money might have something to do with it and they were right.

Though solving such a complicated problem will require lots of work and effort on the parts of many, the authors believe one basic change that should be made is to alter the way insurance companies reimburse hospitals. The study suggests that tying payment to surgical outcomes is one way of creating an incentive for hospitals to change. If payment were contingent upon complication-free surgeries, then there would be a real reason for doctors to work hard to reduce complications. The 100,000 people that are estimated to die each year from medical complications is already far more than it should be, hopefully changes can be made that bring this number down to earth.

Questions Raised Over Safety Of Da Vinci Surgical Robots

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:06:51 -0600

Some people have hailed the recent development of robotic surgical systems, particularly da Vinci, and credited the development with revolutionizing some operations. Though some surgeons tout the supposed benefits of robotic surgery, such as improved healing times, the FDA has begun turning a skeptical eye towards the devices and has announced that it will launch an investigation into a recent uptick in reported problems with robotic surgical systems.

The explosion in the use of robotic surgery systems is undeniable. Numbers show that nearly 400,000 procedures were performed by robots in 2012. This represents an enormous increase from the 114,000 procedures performed by robots in 2008. The leading system, and the only one approved by the FDA for soft tissue surgeries, is known as da Vinci. While most people agree that the da Vinci system can be great in certain circumstances, especially surgeries in tight spaces that require very precise movements, not everyone is convinced that they are useful in other cases.

So far, robots have been popular for conducting prostate surgeries, gallbladder removals and hysterectomies. Some doctors and hospitals are aggressively expanding the areas where the robots may be used with robots frequently advertised as the method of choice for stomach stapling surgeries and even some organ transplant procedures. Experts in the industry say that da Vinci systems are great advertising tools for hospitals that are eager to draw in customers with the latest technology and that expanding the surgeries where robots are used is another way of coping with the high cost for the devices. It's estimated that a da Vinci system costs nearly $1.5 million upfront along with at least $100,000 per year in service contracts. The expense hasn't scared away customers though, as it is believed that four in ten hospitals own a da Vinci system.

Though doctors often hype the wonders of robotic surgery, claiming there is less bleeding and shorter hospitalization times, few if any studies have been done to corroborate this conclusion. Instead, many in the medical business question whether there is any evidence that da Vinci performs surgeries better than an experienced surgeon would, especially given the incredibly high cost of the product.

Not only are the benefits dubious, but a recent increase in adverse event reports filed with the FDA has raised some safety concerns. Since the beginning of 2012, 500 adverse event reports have been sent to the FDA about da Vinci systems. These include five reports of death. In once case a woman died during a hysterectomy after the robot clipped a blood vessel. In another case, a man died after the da Vinci robot perforated his colon, which led to a terrible infection.

Instances of malfunction or glitches are especially terrifying given the incredibly delicate nature of surgery. One report discussed how a patient who was having hysterectomy surgery was slapped in the face by the robot, causing enough of a scare that the doctor decided to finish the procedure himself. In another case, a robot grasped onto a patient's tissue during a colon surgery and would not let go, essentially freezing with a man's colon in hand. The doctor had to reboot the system to get it to release, a scary moment for everyone involved.

Though none of this proves that robotic surgery systems should never be used, the reports do raise serious red flags. We can only hope that the FDA does its job and rigorously investigates the use of the da Vinci system to ensure future patients are safe.

Northern Mississippi Tractor-Trailer Wreck Leaves One Driver Injured

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:47:15 -0600

A bad tractor-trailer accident on Highway 78 near Sherman, Mississippi, left one driver in the hospital seeking treatment for serious injuries. The crash involved two semi trucks and happened late one night in early April.

According to Mississippi Highway Patrol officials, the accident happened when David Yell, 34, was heading west on Highway 78 and his Mac tractor-trailer collided with an International semi driven by Cornelius Tolbert. Both drivers were injured in the wreck, but Yell was more seriously wounded.

Police say that when emergency medical responders arrived on the scene of the crash, they transported Yell to the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Mississippi, for treatment of his injuries. Thankfully, the damage done to the men was reduced given that both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Police say the wreck is still under investigation as officers try to determine which driver was at fault. Though officers say they do not yet know the cause of the wreck, the fact that the accident occurred so late at night leads many to wonder whether exhaustion was a factor. Driver fatigue frequently plays a role in tractor-trailer accidents, leading to thousands of deaths and injuries each year. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 750 people die and another 20,000 are injured each and every year due to exhausted commercial vehicle drivers being behind the wheel.

Truckers work notoriously long hours at a grueling pace. Demanding shipping deadlines and bonuses for on time deliveries can incentivize driving even when drivers know they should rest. Given the speed and weight of tractor-trailers, even a momentary lapse in attention can spell disaster for unsuspecting motorists.

Drivers who are repeatedly made tired and denied the proper amount of sleep can develop a worrisome problem known as a sleep deficit. This long-term sleep deprivation can lead to a general decline in reaction time and dulled senses, a dangerous duo for commercial vehicle driers. The NTSB has said that it estimates driver fatigue is responsible for nearly 40 percent of all accidents involving tractor-trailers.

Fatal Natchez, Mississippi, Car Wreck Leaves Two Dead

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:26:16 -0600

A terrible car accident took place last week in Natchez, Mississippi, near the intersection of U.S. 61 and Douglas Road. The two-car accident left two men dead and police searching for more information.

According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the accident happened when a 2008 Ford truck collided with a 2000 Chevrolet pick-up. The Chevy was being driven by Walter Havard, 44, while the Ford was being driven by John White, 25. Police say the fatal accident left Havard and another passenger, 38-year-old Timothy Collier, dead.

The accident took place in the middle of the day, just after three in the afternoon, when Havard was heading south down U.S. 61. Witnesses say that Havard may have failed to yield as he turned into the median crossover and tried to turn onto Douglas Road. The Chevy then crashed into the oncoming Ford, which hit the Chevy on the passenger side, causing it to flip over and off the side of the road.

Tragically, the passenger in the Chevy, Collier, was pronounced dead at the scene. Havard, who was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident, was taken by ambulance to Natchez Regional Medical Center and died along the way. There were two other passengers in the Ford at the time of the accident and each one sustained injuries, though thankfully relatively minor ones. Police say the accident remains under investigation.

In Mississippi, if a family member dies because of the negligence of another party, that person's loved ones are allowed to bring a civil claim to recover damages for their loved one's wrongful death. Mississippi Code Annotated Section 11-7-13 deals with wrongful death claims and explains that family members are able to file suit for financial compensation against responsible parties, whether it's an individual or a company. Mississippi law is clear that such suits permit family members to recover damages that "the jury may determine to be just." This includes a wide array of things such as medical expenses, hospital bills, pain and suffering, funeral expenses, lost earnings, lost future earnings, loss of companionship and even punitive damages can be collected from the responsible party.

Nursing Homes Tentatively Try Alarm-Free Approach

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:13:06 -0600

In a surprising report out of Connecticut, one nursing home has made the decision to purposely remove all the alarms from their facility. That means the alarms on patients' beds, the alarms on wheelchairs and even the alarms on patients themselves have all been eliminated. Though this may seem to increase the risk of serious accidents occurring, quite the opposite has happened according to the director of nursing. Rather than compromise care, the number of injuries has actually fallen, and by quite a lot.

The director of nursing at the Connecticut facility first got the idea several years ago and debated making the move for a number of months. Once she decided to dive in, she found that the hardest problem to overcome was the staff. The employees at the nursing home feared that by removing alarms they would subject themselves to liability in the case that a resident fell and was injured or that more residents could get hurt with no system in place to alert the staff members on duty.

The director spent more than a year slowly easing her staff into the new routine and the results have been amazing. Not only have the reports of injuries fallen noticeably, but the staff and patients are both feeling the change in terms of a reduction in stress. The elimination of the constant beeping and buzzing lowers tension among staff members and also helps ease anxiety among the patients.

The Connecticut nursing home is one of several places across the country that have begun experimenting with the idea of going "alarm-free." The move was prompted after doubts were raised about the effectiveness of all the beeping. Rather than rely on the alarms that warn when a patient tries to get up or move around, staff members are trained to spend more time observing and walking around, without the distraction of the alarms.

One study has been done on the subject which was published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers found that alarms at a hospital in Tennessee had done nothing to reduce the fall rates of patients. The study concluded that the alarms can actually lead to more falls because the noise can disrupt patients' sleep which then makes them more tired and prone to falling.

Another study done in Massachusetts found that after one facility removed its alarms the patient injury rate declined by 32 percent. Another facility recorded a 15 percent decline in falls. Experts say that when staff does not have the alarms to act as a crutch, they are forced to take a more active and involved approach towards patient care.

However, this news does not mean that all nursing home should begin ripping the alarms out of their beds. For this to work other changes need to be made. For example, frequent rounding by staff needs to happen, especially focusing on those patients at risk of falling. Even more importantly, nursing homes that are interested in going "alarm-free" have to change their way of working, moving from a reactive to a more proactive approach.

Fifth Circuit Upholds Mississippi Damage Caps

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:18:27 -0600

A federal appeals court earlier this month issued an important opinion upholding the state's $1 million cap on damages in personal injury suits. The case is seen as important in that it will effect how much money plaintiffs can collect in major personal injury cases.

The panel of judges from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge to Mississippi's law raised by Lisa Learmonth, a woman who was injured in a terrible car wreck. Learmonth sued Sears, the company who owned the van she was hit by. The jury awarded her $4 million, but never indicated how much of the damages were for economic losses and how much were for non-economic things like pain and suffering. The judge presiding over the case designated $2.2 million for pain and suffering and then proceeded to lower that amount to $1 million based on Mississippi's cap on non-economic damages in product liability cases.

Learmonth argued before the Fifth Circuit that limiting what a jury is able to award an injured plaintiff violates her right to a jury trial under the state's constitution. She also claimed it violated the notion of a separation of powers given that it allowed the legislature to interfere with a jury's verdict.

The Fifth Circuit initially asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to decide the issue, something the state high court refused to do. The Court then decided to reject Learmonth's arguments on its own.

Attorneys for the plaintiff claim that because this was the decision of a federal court applying state law it will not be binding on state court judges who are presented with issues over damages caps in the future. Though this is technically true, legal experts point out that the decision will likely be seen as very influential. This comes as others intend to challenge the $1 million general cap on non-economic damages and the $500,000 cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases.

The win is seen as significant for corporations and doctors in the state given that it upholds the idea of capping the potential risk faced by negligent doctors and companies who are later sued for the damage they cause. Plaintiffs' advocates say the ruling is harmful in that it disregards the constitutional rights of seriously injured Mississippians. Upholding such damage caps succeeds only in denying seriously injured victims from receiving full compensation for their injuries. Rather than protect victims, the caps protect the perpetrators of harm by shielding them from potentially massive civil awards.

Cell Phone Restrictions Likely Have Little Impact Car Accident Deaths Caused by Distracted Driving

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:02:42 -0600

A new report by the West Virginia University School of Public Health concluded that laws passed across the country to punish those texting behind the wheel have likely had little effect and have not done much to reduce the number of car wreck injuries caused by distracted driving.

The study, "Keeping an Eye on Distracted Driving," appears in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The authors of the study found that in 2003, cell phone use behind the wheel likely caused more than 300,000 total injuries and 2,600 fatalities. Between 2005 and 2009, as new legislation was passed across the country, these numbers increased by 22 percent. The study found that despite increased legislation meant to force drivers to put down their phones, the problem is likely to worsen over the coming years.

The study authors believe young drivers are the greatest risk because they are generally heavier cell phone users than older drivers. Younger drivers are doubly dangerous because they also lack the driving experience needed to know how to respond to dangerous driving events. Young drivers have grown up around phones and most do not believe using them while driving is necessarily dangerous given their familiarity with the electronic devices. The study found that many believe practice makes perfect.

Researchers say eventually the numbers might level off, but only if state legislatures use the same efforts that have been employed to discourage drunk driving. So far, 29 states have banned text messaging by drivers while only 10 have gone so far as to outlaw talking while using a handheld device. Here in Mississippi, text messaging is prohibited for those drivers with an intermediate license, a temporary learning permit or a temporary driving permit. Violating this law can result in fines of up to $500 and up to $1,000 in the event of an accident.

Researchers said that it likely would not be legislative action that stems the rising tide of cell phone-related deaths, but instead technology. They hope that automakers will eventually develop technology in cars that automatically disable all handheld phone use and possibly even convert both incoming and outgoing text messages to voice to allow for hands-free usage. To encourage this technological development, the study's authors said the federal government should take action to push automakers to develop the new technology. Such action would help reduce the thousands of deaths that occur each year due to entirely preventable distracted driving.

Department of Transportation Demands DUI Money Back From Mississippi After State Misspends Millions

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:12:10 -0600

In a shocking report released by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mississippi police departments were faulted for diverting federal money that was meant to help fight drunk driving into helping set up speed traps. Though Mississippi authorities were blamed for their bad decisions, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was similarly faulted for failing to prevent the misuse of money by not implementing strict enough guidelines for how the money was to be used.

The report revealed that over three years, between 2007 and 2010, the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety received nearly $21 million in federal taxpayer money meant to create and run programs to combat drunk driving. Mississippi authorities then spent another $36 million in federal highway money on similar programs. Unfortunately, not all of the money went where it should.

Instead of using the money exclusively for fighting drunk driving, Mississippi police departments took the money and used to it fund normal operating costs, something specifically disallowed by federal regulations. Officials in the state Office of Highway Safety distributed money to local police departments without documenting why the money was needed or providing any sort of supervision of its use.

The Inspector General's report found that of the 127 state and local officers who had been given federal DUI money, a full 73 percent of the officers never issued a single drunk driving citation. Instead, the money was spent setting up speed traps, issuing hundreds of citations for seat belt use and other minor traffic infractions. Out of all the officers receiving the NHTSA DUI money, only 147 DUI arrests were reported, far less than the number mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In fact, the report found that only 21 officers hit the intended DUI arrest target.

Auditors that were hired to examine the books found that millions of dollars were squandered in either improper or purely bogus claims. Auditors believe that fraudulent claims for the DUI money come to $7.1 million in Mississippi. The NHTSA says it will be demanding a return of the improperly spent money, forcing the state to cough up millions in misspent federal grants.

State Transportation Officials Worried About Increase In Mississippi Train Crashes

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:55:39 -0600

Law enforcement officials in northern Mississippi have announced that they are still investigating a recent accident that happened a few weeks back and involved a train and a parked semi-truck. The train crash was the second collision in Union County, Mississippi, that week and the fourth such accident in the region in less than four weeks.

This "out of the blue" increase in train accidents has officials worried across Mississippi about what needs to be done to stop the rise. National statistics reveal how dangerous trains can be: every 115 minutes a person or a vehicle is hit by a train. The Department of Transportation says that some 5,800 train/vehicle accidents happen every day in the United States and that these crashes result in 600 deaths and injuries to 2,300 people.

Police officials in Union County say that they believe the crash took place because a gate at a warehouse had been accidentally locked. Due to the locked gate, the tractor-trailer driver was unable to pull directly into the business to make his delivery. He parked his truck by the gate, hanging the back end of his 18-wheeler out onto the train track, while he went to investigate the problem. While he was gone a train came by and was not able to stop before it smashed into the back of the semi.

The driver of the truck has said that he never saw or heard the approaching train and did not realize his truck was hanging off over the track. Police officials say that the train conductor and engineer never saw the reflective material on the back of the truck until it was too late to stop.

According to safety data, the average freight train is between 90 to 120 rail cars long. When a car of that length is moving at 55 miles per hour, it can take more than a mile for the train to stop once the brake has been fully applied. Given the danger posed by such heavy trains, the public should be aware of the risks and take special care when around a busy railroad.

All those around a train track should be on heightened alert, being careful to watch and listen for signs of a nearby train. Never walk on a train track, even if you think a train won't be passing. Even if you encounter trains every day, resist the urge to become complacent. Trains are heavy, fast and dangerous and should always be taken seriously.

Mississippi Medical Malpractice Lawyer: New Medical Tool Acts as GPS For Surgeons

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:46:10 -0600

Though everyone has come to rely on GPS while out driving around, doctors may be the next group to realize the wonders of such a mapping system. Though instead of on the roadways, the new system will be used in operating rooms.

The new tool, a kind of surgical GPS, was designed to make common surgeries much safer procedures. The first surgery using the new tool was conducted at Mass General Hospital and was used to treat a patient's heart condition. The condition, known as atrial fibrillation, can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms that negatively impact a patient's quality of life. Beyond these irritants, atrial fibrillation is also a leading cause of stroke and congestive heart failure. More than 3.5 million Americans currently suffer from the condition and doctors hope the new tool can help many of those in the future.

During normal atrial fibrillation surgery, a patient is exposed to a nearly constant stream of X-rays so that doctors know exactly what is happening and exactly where the equipment is in relation to the heart. This means a relatively high radiation exposure for patients which can lead to other negative health consequences in the long-term. Studies indicate that radiation exposure, especially in such high degrees, can lead to cancer in some patients.

The new tool, known as Mediguide, combines X-rays with GPS technology to create a kind of human roadmap that guides a catheter up a patient's leg and into the heart. Given that there is no need for constant X-rays, doctors hope patients will be safer from not having to be exposed to such high radiation levels. The new procedure is estimated to reduce X-ray exposure in patients by as much as 90 percent.

The other hope of the new Mediguide is that it will also increase precision in such surgeries. With a detailed roadmap of the human body, the hope is that surgical errors will also be reduced in the process. A reduction in surgical errors is sorely needed given that recent studies have indicate that such mistakes happen in American hospitals nearly 80 times each week.

The kinds of surgical errors and medical negligence vary widely and can include things as minor as leaving sponges inside a patient, to leaving scalpels and other instruments behind, performing the wrong procedure or performing the right procedure but on the wrong part of the body.

Researchers studied some 10,000 cases of surgical errors and found that those events cost insurers more than $1.3 billion in settlements. These medical mistakes are not only costly to injured patients, but also financially costly to the country as a whole. Though the numbers of serious surgical errors are relatively rare given the huge number of surgeries performed each year, that doesn't reduce the seriousness of the mistakes when they do occur.

Major Push Underway for Mississippi Concussion Legislation

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:49:52 -0600

Several powerful groups have come together to support a bill in the Mississippi legislature that is meant to help keep young children safe from the dangers of traumatic brain injuries. The Mississippi High School Activities Association, the NFL and the state Department of Health agree on the importance of the proposed legislation which would help come up with protocols for how to educate residents of the state about the dangers of concussions and when children should be allowed to resume playing after sustaining a blow to the head.

According to the CDC, a concussion occurs when a person sustains a traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. Contrary to popular belief, this does not necessarily involve a loss of consciousness.

The goal of the legislation is to specifically prevent something known as Second Impact Syndrome. The condition is scary and incredibly deadly and occurs when a young person receives two head injuries in relatively quick succession. SIS happens when the brain swells quickly and is sometimes fatal in young athletes. Medical experts say that if a brain is not given enough time to recover from an initial concussion, a second one can have a devastating, and often fatal, effect. This is even the case when the second injury is nothing more than a small bump. Though the second injury is what causes the brain to swell quickly, it's the first injury that makes the player a walking time bomb.

Last year, a similar bill known as the Wesley Ward Youth Concussion Act, passed unanimously in the Senate, but failed to gain any traction in the House. This year, supporters hope increased media attention surround the dangers of concussions will improve the chance of the measure passing. The bill got its name after a high school football player in the state who had to have emergency brain surgery after sustaining a concussion while practicing. The man recovered but still has no memory of the five months after his injury.

Report Reveals ER Visits Related to Energy Drink Consumption Double Over Four-Year Period

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:41:32 -0600

A recent report by the federal government contained startling information regarding injuries related to the consumption of energy drinks. The report revealed that the number of people seeking emergency room treatment after consuming such energy drinks had doubled over the past four years. The surge in ER visits is likely tied to a corresponding increase in popularity for the drinks, especially among young people.

Between 2007 and 2011, the government estimates that the number of ER visits related to the energy drinks increased from 10,000 to more than 20,000. The vast majority of these cases involved teens and young adults. The report does not clarify exactly what symptoms prompted the people to seek treatment, but it does label energy drinks a "rising public health problem." The report says that consumption of such beverages can lead to insomnia, nervousness, headaches, fast heartbeats and even seizures in some rare instances.

Doctors that were surveyed in the report concurred that there has been an increase in visits related to energy drink consumption. Physicians say that they have seen an increase in patients suffering irregular heartbeats, anxiety and even heart attacks. Though 42% of such reports were found to involve a combination of energy drinks and either alcohol or other drugs, more than half of such visits were for energy drink consumption alone.

The problem is that many people do not understand that consuming such energy drinks, especially several in quick succession, can truly be dangerous. Someone who downs three such drinks in an hour has consumed the equivalent of more than 15 cups of coffee.

The recent report comes on the heels of news that the FDA is investigating deaths tied to various energy drinks. Last fall, it was reported that 18 deaths might be linked to consumption of energy drinks, including a 14-year-old girl who died after guzzling two cans of Monster Energy Drink. The FDA has said it would seriously consider the findings of the recent report and press manufacturers for more details as it begins to prepare a review of the overall safety of energy drinks and their main ingredients.

Though energy drinks make up a relatively small portion of the soft drink market (3.3 percent, at last count), they are a big growth business as soda sales continue to slip. In 2011, sales for energy drinks rose 17%, with major gains seen by the three biggest brands: Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar.