The Medical Negligence Blog

Statins side-effects – Researchers run tests to see if they’re real or not!

Statins are a group of drugs commonly used to combat cholesterol levels. Here in the U.K., cardiovascular disease (CVD), otherwise known as ‘heart disease’, is a common cause of death. There are several types of CVD including coronary heart disease, angina and heart attacks. All can occur due to blood flow being restricted from getting to the heart.

Statins help to lower cholesterol, and as with any drug, it comes with its own side-effects including upset stomach; headaches; nausea; muscle aches and pains; and pins and needles. However, researchers suggested that side-effects from statins may not be real. As such, their theory was put to the test…
Read More

Potential risk of harm to hundreds of NHS patients because of undelivered medical mail

Back in February 2017, reports revealed that hundreds upon thousands of medical correspondences never made it to healthcare providers. The contractor hired by the NHS to send medical information between health institutions and providers reportedly lost around 709,000 pieces of data.

Truly staggering…

The information included patient medical records and test results. At the time the atrocity was revealed, it was suspected that 500 patients may have been harmed as a result of missing key medical information. Now, the number is over 1,700.
Read More

Packaging mix-up of birth control pills could lead to unintended pregnancies

Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. have made a horrendous error with their packaging which could mess up birth control plans for many women.

On 30^th May 2017, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced a recall for one lot of Mibelas 24 Fe (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol 1mg/0.02mg chewable and ferrous fumarate 75mg) tablets after a customer complained there had been a mix-up with the packaging, missing expiry dates and incorrect lot information.

There’s a concern that the mix-up could result in women taking chemically inactive pills on days when they should be taking active tablets, and therefore risk unintended pregnancy.
Read More

Investigation into alleged unfair pricing of drugs and medicines supplied to the NHS

The pharmaceutical sector has been investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for suspected breaches of competition legislation for alleged unfair pricing. The allegations of unfair pricing could have a severe knock-on effect on the NHS which is already in a vulnerable state.

The investigation into the unfair pricing was opened in October 2016. A large degree of scrutiny and information gathering is usually completed before the CMA will come to a definitive conclusion as to whether the pharmaceutical company have breached competition laws – namely Chapter II of the Competition Act (CA) and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The key issue here though is whether unfair pricing is needlessly costing the NHS too much. If so, the repercussions for this – given the state of our NHS – could be significant.
Read More

Breast cancer patients reportedly not being sufficiently warned about permanent side effects of Taxotere

Docetaxel, or more commonly known by its brand name Taxotere, is a medical drug used to treat cancer. The chemotherapy drug can be used to treat breast, head and neck, stomach, prostate and non small-cell cancerous cells.

For breast cancer patients it’s the most popular choice of treatment with 75% opting for Taxotere. However, it has since been revealed that manufacturers have not been quite so explicit with the effects the life-saving drug can have, and patients and physicians have reportedly been kept in the dark that Taxotere can cause permanent hair loss.
Read More

Pelvic mesh victim wins $2.16 million from Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon in the U.S.

An American woman from the state of Pennsylvania is set to be paid $2.16 million (around £1.7 million) for injuries suffered after having a pelvic mesh device implanted.

The medical device was manufactured by Ethicon; a medical device branch of Johnson & Johnson.

Ms Margaret Engleman brought the lawsuit after she had the mesh implanted to treat her stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, the mesh reportedly fused and eroded into her organs causing painful complications. Being fused into her organs, the mesh could not be surgically removed and continues to cause pain and urinary problems to this day.
Read More

The rising epidemic in opioid painkiller dependency

There is reportedly a rising epidemic in opioid painkiller dependency for women who need C–sections for giving birth.

Though caesarean sections are only carried out when it’s considered to be the safest option for both mother and baby, around one in every four/five women in the U.K. have a caesarean. Recovering from a caesarean usually takes longer than a vaginal birth which is why painkillers are frequently prescribed; but according to Health Day, opioid painkillers are being over-prescribed.
Read More

Brain fluid drainage device recalled due to multiple complaints

Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, has recently taken a few medical devices off the market as a result of multiple complaints and one reported death.

In this case, Medtronic issued a voluntary recall of the StrataMR valve and shunt.

The device was created to manage hydrocephalus – a condition where there is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the brain. Unfortunately, concerns have been raised about the safety of the devices.
Read More

MRI scans and the rare risks involved…

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines are essentially very large medical devices that can take detailed scans of the inside of the body. It uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to pick up images inside the body.

If you need to look at tissue inside the body, an MRI scan is usually what you need. Often used to look inside the brain and other vital organs, MRI’s can show us a much clearer picture of what’s going on inside our bodies.

However, there are some risks with their use…
Read More

Worldwide ransomware attack brings NHS services to a standstill

The NHS has suffered as a result of a “large-scale hack” across the globe that hit some 99 countries in total.

The malware message is demanding ransoms from hospitals! A message appearing on hospital screens says that doctors will need to cough up if they want to save their files. The big issue here is that this causes a wider problem for patients across the country as hospitals are forced to use their ‘back-up’ plans, and services are being seriously reduced.

Real people’s lives are in danger here.
Read More

Unnecessary and incorrect operations as a result of clinical negligence

Misdiagnosis and false diagnosis from healthcare professionals can lead to unnecessary and incorrect operations.

There are many reports of doctors not referring patients to the correct departments for the correct treatment, or referring patients onto a department whereby operations are undertaken incorrectly.

Undertaking unnecessary and incorrect operations can be traumatic and life changing, to say the least. The consequences of clinical negligence can be long-lasting and can necessitate further operations. Many operations can lead to unnecessary scarring at the very least, which can also be factored into a clinical negligence claim.
Read More

Open heart surgery linked to deadly infection

Open heart surgery has always been an operation with many implications and risks.

However, patients who have undergone open heart surgery in the UK are being told that they may be at risk of a deadly infection linked to medical equipment that was used during the operation.
Read More