Doppler ultrasonography is a standard in diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) but is often delayed. Clinician-performed focused vascular sonography (FVS) has proven to accurately diagnose DVT in the ambulatory and emergency room settings. Whether trained medical residents can perform quality FVS in the critically ill is unknown. Medical residents ...

New anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications have been approved and are prescribed with increased frequency. Intracranial hemorrhage is associated with the use of these medications. Therefore, neurosurgeons need to be aware of these new medications, how they are different from their predecessors, and the strategies for the urgent reversal of their ...

Phosphate binder medication adherence is required to maintain optimal phosphate levels and minimise bone disease in people with end stage kidney disease. To examine the impact of a nurse-led education intervention on bone disorder markers, adherence to phosphate binder medication and medication knowledge. Descriptive study with a paired pre-post intervention ...

Medical thromboprophylaxis reduces venous thromboembolism (VTE), while causing bleeding. Routine application of pharmacological VTE prophylaxis to low risk medical patients is likely to cause net harm; as a result only moderate or high risk patients should be exposed to VTE prophylaxis. To avoid unneeded exposure to VTE prophylaxis health care ...

In treatment and prevention of thromboembolic events, the two major classes of anticoagulants are the antiplatelet agents and the antithrombotic agents. The antithrombotic agents have traditionally been heparin and warfarin, both of which were isolated in the 1930s, and have been used effectively since becoming commercially available in treatment and ...

Compression therapy is considered to be the most important conservative treatment of venous leg ulcers. Until a few years ago, compression bandages were regarded as first-line therapy of venous leg ulcers. However, to date medical compression stockings are the first choice of treatment. With respect to compression therapy of venous ...

A recent occurrence in dental practice is the noting of new "blood thinners" when the clinician is reviewing a patient's medical history and medications. "Doc, I take Pradaxa or Effient or Xarelto" etc. After many years of the widespread use of aspirin and Coumadin there has appeared a new generation ...

Safety and effectiveness of any medical therapy depends on patients taking their medication as prescribed and the extent of this is defined as medication adherence [1]. Poor medication adherence is frequently found across all types of pharmacological therapy. Estimates indicate that 28% of new prescriptions are unfilled and for patients ...

Psychotropic drugs are a crucial element of treatment for psychiatric disorders; however there is an established association between many classes of psychotropic medications and fracture risk among older adults, and growing evidence that some classes of medications may also impact bone mineral density (BMD). In this paper we review recent ...

The risk of osteonecrosis in patients treated with bisphosphonates is well known and guidelines intended to prevent this complication have been established and accepted. Bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) is a unique condition in which even past administration of medication may be of current and future relevance. We ...

Little is known about hepatotoxicity associated with valproic acid (VPA), a widely used substance in neuropsychiatry.All reported cases to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices between 1993 and 2009 of VPA-induced serious hepatic side effects were evaluated.A total of 132 cases of serious VPA-associated liver failure were ...

The diagnosis and treatment of venous thromboembolic events represents a significant source of medical spending, both domestically and worldwide. Advances in medical imaging and pharmacology continue to alter and improve established treatment paradigms. In this article, we discuss venous thromboembolism etiology, diagnosis, and rationale for current and future treatment strategies.

Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumour which is usually seen in long bones. Although the eventual treatment of this tumour is surgery, medical treatment is another option. We present the 3 years follow-up bone scintigraphy images of a patient with osteoid osteoma which show improvement by medical treatment.

Introduction: Battlefield tourniquet use can be lifesaving, but most reports are from hospitals with knowledge gaps remaining at the forward surgical team (FST). The quality of tourniquet applications in forward settings remain unknown. The purpose of this case series is to describe observations of tourniquet use at an FST in ...

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is an iatrogenic disease and a significant concern to patients and dentists. Bisphosphonates are used for millions of men and women with osteoporosis, with the rationale being that these medications increase bone mineral density and decrease fracture risk. Clinicians will undoubtedly encounter some patients ...

Phototherapy is used for the medical care of cutaneous conditions that do not respond to topical or systemic medical agents, and for conditions that require broad exposure to UV as a stabilizing agent for disease. Numerous wavelengths and delivery devices of ultraviolet light are used in childhood. This article is ...

Spontaneous thrombus in the ductus arteriosus (DA) is a rare condition that can be the cause of potentially fatal thromboembolism. The case of a male newborn with a thrombus in the DA is described. He was treated with anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy. Transthoracic echocardiography documented regression of the thrombus. The ...

Diverse psychosocial and cultural factors are related to adherence to treatment of type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM2) such as social support, coping styles and the cost of medical attention. To study the influence of diverse psychosocial factors on adherence to treatment in patients with DM2. In a cross sectional design ...

Medical malpractice is a global problem of professional negligence resulting in damage or harm to a patient due to deviation from accepted standards of practice. Radiology service delivery to patients from all the four major medical disciplines and the ever increasing imaging arsenal potentially increase the incidence of adverse events ...

Otolaryngologists may encounter claims of medical malpractice during the course of their careers. A sample of 15 cases involving patient claims of medical malpractice relating to care delivered for problems of the nose and paranasal sinus is presented. A short summary of each case is provided, which may be useful ...

PURPOSE: The possibility of a medical malpractice lawsuit is present in the practice of modern day medicine. A basic knowledge of trends, monetary values and types of claims involved in urological litigation is beneficial to the practicing surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cumulative analysis of claims data from 1985 to 2007 ...

Few issues elicit more emotion from physicians than medical malpractice. The very word "malpractice" implies guilt and immediately places the involved physician on the defensive. Defensive medicine adds 5% to 9% to the cost of medical care. Numerous solutions have been proposed, but special interests have blocked the implementation of ...

To examine sources of litigation following tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy. Analysis of malpractice claims filed after tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy provided by 16 medical liability insurance companies. Not applicable. Data was obtained from 16 members of the Physician Insurers Association of America. All claims were either filed or closed between 1985 and ...

This essay reviews and defines avoidable medical error, malpractice and complication. The relevant ethical principles pertaining to unanticipated medical outcomes are identified. In light of these principles I critically review the moral culpability of the agents in each circumstance and the resulting obligations to patients, their families, and the health ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the risk of medical malpractice litigation for Italian radiologists, compared with the corresponding data in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The insurance claims of Italian radiologists over the 1993-2006 period were anonymously assessed and classified according to the cause of the ...

The medical malpractice crisis has smoldered for many years with few new ideas regarding how to improve matters. Physicians promote limits on plaintiff noneconomic damages, but this has been ferociously resisted by the legal community. They argue that limiting remuneration to patients harmed by negligent practices is fundamentally wrong. We ...

This paper examines the relationship of medical malpractice litigation and medical costs in the United States. We relate medical malpractice settlements to medical costs for 190 metro and non-metro areas in the United States over a 5-year period and find that litigation is positively and significantly related to medical costs. ...

This article explores why the national court system has seen a steady influx of claims alleging practitioners' failure properly to perform vasectomy or ensure sterilization and the manner in which that influx has caused physicians to reassess their methods of practicing medicine in an increasingly litigious environment and make the ...

A multicentre retrospective analysis of 4450 autopsies carried out due to suspicion of medical malpractice in 17 German institutes of forensic medicine from 1990 to 2000 was performed for the German Federal Ministry of Health. During the time period analysed an increase of cases could be mentioned. The main results ...

All gastroenterologists are at risk of being accused of medical malpractice; few have received much training about what to do should a lawsuit occur. This article details what one can expect in a typical medical malpractice negligence claim and reviews basic relevant legal terminology. The timeline of a lawsuit is ...

BACKGROUND: Medical malpractice litigation has become an important issue worldwide. Although many epidemiological studies have been carried out, most studies were conducted cross-sectionally in developed countries and focused on malpractice litigation. We conducted nationwide surveys to investigate physicians' experiences associated with malpractice in 1991 and 2005, respectively. METHODS: By stratified ...

Clear data on the epidemiology of medical malpractice are missing, at least for Germany. Especially data on the frequency of malpractice claims in penal and civil law are not available. However, from epidemiological and healthcare research some data on the frequency of adverse events (AE), preventable adverse events (PAE) and ...

Since decades, studies concerning medical malpractice charges in Germany were published, written by forensic pathologists and regarding lethal courses and the question of causality. Previously published studies comprise higher numbers of medical malpractice charges and determine who e.g. informed the prosecution, which clinical subjects are involved, the kind of charges ...

Our society is the only country that punishes physicians with medical malpractice by using criminal law as a routine, while most countries in this planet settle almost all medical disputes with civil action. In Taiwan, criminal suits account 79% of all medical malpractice law suits. The purpose of this trial ...

The underpinning of medical practice has always been patient care and patient safety. The past several decades, however, have seen an erosion of the patient-doctor relationship. A number of factors have contributed to the ongoing medical malpractice crisis that continues in the United States. There are three social goals of ...

What you see on "CSI" or "Law and order" may give you the idea that medical malpractice attorneys routinely use DNA, voice print analysis, and high-tech laboratory assays to prosecute or defend lawsuits. For the most part, this is not the case. With the exception of whatever witness testimony may ...

In the United States, malpractice tort reform has come to be regarded by many as a principal means of reducing the high costs of medical care. Despite growing popular sentiment for tort reform evidenced in public opinion polls and in earlier research, the authors wondered about the experiences and feelings ...

OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on catastrophic medical payments of rural households in Linyi County, Shandong Province. METHOD: In 2005, from a stratified cluster sample of 3101 rural households, we identified 375 households that might be at risk of catastrophic payments by searching ...

The root causes of medical malpractice claims are deeper and closer to home than most in the medical community care to admit. The University of Michigan Health System's experience suggests that a response by the medical community more directly aimed at what drives patients to call lawyers would more effectively ...

Proponents of tort reform applied to medical malpractice argue for change partly on the premise that the threat of lawsuits has made medical care more costly. Using U.S. longitudinal data from the National Long-Term Care Survey merged with Medicare claims and other data for 1985-2000, this study assesses whether tort ...

The documents patients sign on admission to a medical practice can constitute a legal contract. Medical practices around the country are attempting to use these documents as a prospective defense against medical malpractice claims. Protective contractual provisions are often attacked on grounds that they are legally void as a result ...

Background: Emergency medicine, with its limited time for patient encounters, unpredictable flow, and lack of a continuing patient-physician relationship, is a particularly high-risk field with regards to the issue of medical liability. There have been limited studies on the financial and time exposure emergency physicians face when confronted with a ...

Two decades of social science research on the outcomes of medical malpractice claims show malpractice outcomes bear a surprisingly good correlation with the quality of care provided to the patient as judged by other physicians. Physicians win 80% to 90% of the jury trials with weak evidence of medical negligence, ...

Bullfighting can provoke strong reactions, for fans and laymen alike. Risks to the health of participants are inseparable from the spectacle. Organisers call on a medical team whose main task is to treat the bullfighter's injuries. Despite the special features of this medical practice doctors are not exempt from the ...

Juries in medical malpractice trials are viewed as incompetent, antidoctor, irresponsible in awarding damages to patients, and casting a threatening shadow over the settlement process. Several decades of systematic empirical research yields little support for these claims. This article summarizes those findings. Doctors win about three cases of four that ...

The crisis of medical liability has resulted in drastic increases in insurance premiums and reduced access for patients to specialty care, particularly in areas such as obstetrics/gynecology, neurosurgery, and orthopaedic surgery. The current liability environment neither effectively compensates persons injured from medical negligence nor encourages addressing system errors to improve ...

At the present time, legal actions against physicians in Italy number about 15,000 per year, and hospitals spend over 10 billion euros (approximately US$15.5 billion) to compensate patients injured from therapeutic and diagnostic errors. In a survey summary issued by the Italian Court for the Rights of the Patient, between ...

The common law collateral source rule was established to prevent the defendant from benefiting from their wrongful actions. Despite a trend in the United States to limit the effects of the collateral source rule, the rule remains in force in courts of the State of Tennessee. However, to assist with ...

The US malpractice system is based on tort law, which holds physicians responsible for not harming patients intentionally or through negligence. Malpractice claims are brought against physicians from most medical disciplines in proportion to their numbers in practice and to the frequency with which they perform procedures. Claims against chest ...

Risk management plays an integral role in the mitigation of malpractice claims in the radiology environment. This holds true for the radiologist and professional association as well as the facility that supports the radiologic service. The radiologist and the radiology department or imaging center are separate entities which have a ...