When the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread across the country, stay-at-home orders kept a lot of people off the road. Lots of workplaces moved to temporary work-from-home status, getting rid of the morning and evening commutes for many workers. The crowded highways around cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. suddenly became…
Sports were limited for a lot of people over the past year. Many school sports programs shut down and some have still not returned. Gyms and workout facilities were often closed or limited as high-risk businesses. If someone could not participate in sports at home or outside, that could limit their exercise…
After a year of nothing but cooking at home and takeout, many people are anxious to get back to indoor dining at a proper restaurant. Restrictions are lifting to allow for indoor dining in many places, which is good for places like Philadelphia where dining al fresco is not that appealing in…
Birth injuries can be tragic for parents and leave a child with permanent injuries or mental disabilities. Unfortunately, many birth injuries can be avoided or have improved outcomes. Instead, medical errors, lack of proper care, or professional negligence can be the cause of many birth injuries in the United States. It is…
When a pregnant mother feels like something is wrong, her instincts may be recognizing a problem with the fetus. Fetal distress is a general term for problems in the womb where the baby is at risk of injury, harm, or death. These problems can include oxygen deprivation, birth infection, or other birth…
Our bodies work to maintain a stable balance of chemicals, including water, oxygen, electrolytes, and acid levels. On a day-to-day basis, we don’t think much about our body’s equilibrium until we get a signal that things may be “off”, such as thirst to drink more water or hunger for glucose for the…
Each child develops at their own rate but children generally develop physical, mental, and social milestones within a certain time range. When children develop more slowly than their peers, it may be a sign of a developmental delay. These developmental delays could also indicate an underlying physical or medical problem, including brain…
Even after a normal pregnancy without any complications, the time for delivery can be cause for concern if the baby is in a dangerous birth position. When the baby is not presenting in a head-forward position, it can make delivery more difficult. Delivery complications can cause extended labor or put the mother…
It is terrifying for a parent to see their young child go into a seizure, not knowing what caused it, if it will be okay, or if it will happen again. Unfortunately, this is all too common for children who suffer a birth injury caused by head trauma or oxygen deprivation during…
Bilirubin occurs naturally in the human body. However, like many other body chemicals, when the balance of chemicals is not controlled, too much bilirubin can be toxic. When a child is born with too high of a concentration of bilirubin, it can cause brain damage. In serious cases, high bilirubin levels can…
Our bodies are strong enough to ward off many infections but a developing fetus is much more sensitive to bacteria, viruses, and fungal infections. When an infection develops in the placenta, amniotic sac, or in the fetus, it can pose a serious risk of injury to both the mother and the baby….
Group B streptococcus is a bacteria that commonly exists on and in the body. However, Group B strep can become a problem when it is transmitted to a fetus or baby during pregnancy or childbirth. If the infection is not treated or the baby is not properly monitored, a birth infection can…
Horner syndrome involves a combination of symptoms related to nerve damage and nerve disorders. Horner syndrome is often identified by signs in the eyes, including a constricted pupil or droopy eyelid. However, the problem may involve a number of underlying conditions that could be caused by other diseases or trauma. Childbirth can…
Hyperbilirubinemia is a higher level of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin occurs naturally in the body but the levels generally stay within a limited range in most people. When the bilirubin levels are out of balance, it can cause problems in the rest of the body. Generally, there are no significant problems…
Oxygen and energy are necessary for the body to function. For everyone from children to the elderly, breathing oxygen and consuming calories are what allow our bodies to move and our brains to think. Decreases in oxygen and energy can impair body function and continued depletion may cause the body to begin…
Newborn jaundice is the yellowing of a child’s skin and eyes. Jaundice is not uncommon in newborns and often resolves within a few weeks. However, jaundice and other signs of health conditions should be properly monitored and treated. Failure to care for a child who may be showing signs of jaundice or…
A leptomeningeal cyst is a growing skull fracture. It can be caused by head trauma in young children or newborns, including accident injuries or head trauma during a difficult delivery. It may take some time before a skull fracture is identified and it may indicate further brain trauma in a newborn. In…
Multiple pregnancy is a pregnancy with more than one fetus. Multiple pregnancies can run in the family but are more common when the mother is receiving fertility treatment. While many pregnant mothers with twins and triplets give birth to healthy babies, there are some increased risks associated with multiple births. Failure to…
Microcephaly is smaller than normal head in an infant or child. There are a number of possible causes of microcephaly in babies. When a child has microcephaly, they also tend to have underdeveloped or smaller brains. People with microcephaly often suffer developmental disabilities, motor dysfunction, and seizures. The problems that cause microcephaly…
Macrosomia means a newborn that is larger than average. There may be nothing wrong with the baby and the baby may be totally healthy but a large size may present birth complications in delivery. Vaginal delivery with a very large baby may cause traumatic birth injuries. Instead, a larger baby may have…
When a parent finds out their newborn child is suffering from an infection, it can be heartbreaking. There are so many unknowns with infections in babies, and the parents don’t know if the child will suffer a birth injury or even recover from the infection. There are also so many possible causes…
Many birth injuries are difficult to identify immediately after the baby is born. It may take hours or days before a parent realizes that something may be wrong and the baby is not moving part of their body. Nerve damage can be especially traumatic for the parents and baby because it may…
Intrauterine growth restriction refers to a baby who is much smaller than average for their gestational age. There are a number of reasons why a baby may have poor growth while in the mother’s womb. It is important for doctors to be aware of growth restrictions in order to prepare for delivery….
When a baby is born prematurely or with low birthweight, the baby may face a number of potential birth injuries and developmental problems. One of the birth injuries that often affects premature infants is periventricular leukomalacia. Periventricular leukomalacia is a brain injury in babies that causes permanent damage in areas of the…
When a newborn has breathing problems, it can be devastating for parents. After the difficulties of transitioning from getting oxygen from the mother to breathing air for the first time, some children continue to struggle. It may take months for the baby’s lungs to recover, putting them at risk of other health…
A subgaleal hemorrhage is a type of brain bleed in newborns. Brain bleeds and hemorrhages may not be visible but they present a serious danger to the baby. Serious bleeding inside the head can put the baby at risk of serious injury, encephalopathy, or death. Bleeding in the skull can be caused…
Birth injuries are tragic for families that may be facing a lifetime of care for their young one. Some birth injuries can be treated with full recovery. However, many birth injuries require medical care and special accommodations for the remainder of the child’s life. Parents may also have to set up a…
Some states limit damages for the injury victim in a medical malpractice case. Other states place no limit on damages and leave it up to the jury to decide the amount of compensation. In some states, the courts have even found caps on damages to be unconstitutional. Medical Malpractice Damage Caps by…
When a doctor makes a mistake, it can have tragic consequences. Even a minor mistake can cause a patient to overdose on medication, fail to get treatment, or make their condition worse. However, some mistakes are hard to forgive, like when a doctor operates on the wrong side of a patient. Wrong…
After a wound becomes infected, patients may go to the hospital for treatment. However, sometimes the hospital can be the source of infection. An infection in the hospital can lead to serious injury, including septic shock, amputation, or death. Infection Shock and Amputation When bacteria or a virus is introduced into the…
Truck drivers already have to deal with long hours, dangerous road conditions, and others on the road who do not know how to drive around big trucks. However, even the trucks themselves can pose a danger. Trucking accidents can be caused by improper truck maintenance, brake failure, or defective vehicle parts. Thousands…
When a patient goes under anesthesia, they leave their safety entirely in the hands of the surgeon and their staff. The patient has no control of what is happening in the surgical room when they are no longer conscious. A surgeon could make a serious mistake and the patient may have no…
A doctor in Providence was inserting a gastronomy tube into an elderly patient. After inserting the G-tube, the patient cried out in pain. The doctor ordered an x-ray to check the placement of the tube but read the wrong image, thinking the tube was in the right place. Over the next day,…
One of the most frightening complications after surgery involves leaving an object behind inside the patient’s body. It seems impossible that a surgeon would forget about sponges, clamps, or scissors and leave them inside a patient before sewing them up. Unfortunately, it is much more common than most people know. When foreign…
Many passengers feel secure when getting into an Uber to go to Center City, get a ride to the airport, or get home safely after drinking. Unfortunately, passengers may be putting their health and safety at risk by trusting these ride-hailing apps. If a passenger is injured in an Uber or Lyft…
If a driver runs a stop sign and causes an accident, the driver is generally liable for damages. However, what happens when the stop sign is knocked over and the driver never saw any stop signal? A knocked over stop sign can be dangerous for drivers and may complicate accident insurance claims…
There is a lot of preparation that goes into surgical procedures. Patients may have to go in for multiple tests, imaging, diagnostic exams, and prep to make sure the surgery goes well. Doctors are also supposed to get informed consent from patients, to make sure patients understand the risks of the procedure….
With new technology, new medicines, and access to information, pregnant mothers would expect their birth experience to be safer than ever before. Despite all the advances, there has actually been an increase in pregnancy complications. What has caused the increase in childbirth complications? Birth and Pregnancy Complication Statistics According to healthcare provider…
Valentine’s Day is supposed to be romantic and a time for partners or spouses to celebrate. There may be a lot of stress to make it a special night or snag a hard-to-get reservation at a nice restaurant but it is just as important for the couple to stay safe on a…
Patients often defer to their doctor when reporting medical concerns. Even if the signs and symptoms of a problem feel concerning, the doctor may tell the patient they have nothing to worry about. Telling the patient not to worry can relieve some of the stress but it may also prevent the patient…
With new safety regulations and safety technology, workers in the U.S. should be seeing fewer on the job injuries and fatalities. Unfortunately, worker fatalities have not dropped and have gone up, in some jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 5,333 workers who died as a result of on-the-job…
Hospitals are always looking for ways to save money. There are some cost-cutting measures that do not present any danger to patients. Unfortunately, some hospitals are cutting corners in ways that put patient safety at risk. One of the popular money-saving measures is to outsource some of the recordkeeping, storage, and transcription…
When a patient goes into the hospital for a surgical operation, they should be advised of the risks of the operation. It is important for a patient to understand the risks and benefits in order to make an informed decision on their own healthcare. Unfortunately, some medical mistakes may occur when the…
Plastic surgeons make it seem like their procedures are safe and routine but they may be overestimating the safety of invasive cosmetic procedures. Common plastic surgical procedures like breast implants, nose jobs, and face lifts involve cutting away tissue, reshaping the patient’s body, and stitching up large incisions. Even routine procedures can…
Stem cell research holds a number of promising medical treatments. Stem cell treatment is still a developing area of medicine but some potential breakthroughs have included: Making new heart muscle Tissue regeneration Spinal cord injury repair Diabetes treatment Cancer treatment However, some practitioners may be putting patients in danger by using stem…
By February, most people in Philly are done with winter. The piles of cleared snow have frozen into grey icy blocks. Each day, some snow melts into water to refreeze at night, leaving slippery sidewalks and parking lots. Although we all know it’s not a scientific test, we are all hoping that…
Doctors have gone through a lot of classroom education, on the job training, testing, and licensing. Hospitals have systems in place to make sure accidents don’t happen. With so many protections in place, how can medical errors happen? The unfortunate truth is that medical accidents happen all the time. Medical errors that…
When a doctor orders lab tests and diagnostic imaging tests for a patient, the patient may not be clear on the purpose of the test or what the test involves. Most patients trust that the doctor is ordering all the right tests and leaving no stone unturned. However, some doctors still differ…
When people are under a lot of stress, it can affect their work. When a doctor is under stress and fatigued, it can cause injury or harm to patients. Good mental health can reduce the effects of stress and improve well-being. A number of medical centers are introducing physician well-being programs to…
Many patients do not think much about the surgical instruments that will be used in their surgery. The patients will likely be under anesthesia and have no idea what instruments are actually used in their surgery. At the very least, patients should expect the instruments will be clean and sterile. Unfortunately, errors…
Many truck drivers are on the road for days. There are minimum requirements to give truck drivers time off to sleep and get some rest but drivers have ways around the safety regulations. There are a lot of “tips” and “tricks” for staying alert while driving. Unfortunately, most of those tricks don’t…
With different insurance programs, a patient may have limited options when selecting their primary care doctor. With specialist services and hospital treatment, patients may have limited options available in deciding who will provide care. Leaving it up to the hospital or insurance company to decide who will provide care, patients expect their…
Expecting a doctor to have terrible handwriting is often treated like a joke. However, there are very real-world consequences of physicians with illegible handwriting. Poor handwriting can be misread by other doctors, physicians, and healthcare workers. Confusion can cause delays in treatment and mistakes can cause fatal errors. Fatal Mistakes and Bad…
Hospitals know what kinds of steps they can take to improve patient safety. This includes adequate staffing, proactive error review, and safety briefings. A hospital in Wyoming implemented a number of these safety measures and saw a 70% drop in medical errors. Unfortunately, many medical centers are focused more on profits than…
Space heaters can be a convenient way to heat up a small area without having to turn up the thermostat. In a cold office, some people use a space heater under the desk to keep their feet warm. Space heaters can also be used for people who are sensitive to the cold,…
In 2018, there were more than 4.3 million cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in the U.S. Breast augmentation continues to be the number one cosmetic surgical procedure, with more than 1.8 million procedures. It seems so common that many people overlook the dangers. Plastic surgeons have a responsibility to inform patients…
Motorcycle riders in Philadelphia often have to deal with the threat of icy road conditions in the winter. In most cases, riders have no problem negotiating the slick roads but in combination with erratic drivers, it can cause a serious risk of injury. If a driver suddenly crosses paths with a motorcycle…
It only takes a short hospital stay or surgery for a patient’s medical records to turn into volumes of documents and electronic reports. These medical records are extremely important to patient care because they provide a snapshot into how the doctors, nurses, and hospitals treated the patient. When there are problems with…
Informed consent for a medical treatment is important because it means the patient understands the procedure, the purpose of the procedure, and the risks and benefits. Failing to get informed consent may even be a type of medical malpractice. Unfortunately for patients, the misinformation can also go the other way and the…
Noel Jodoin began to suffer an unusual headache. The headache was severe and after it continued for 3 days, she went to the hospital for an evaluation. When talking to the ER doctors, Johnson said she saw occasional flashes of light and over-the-counter medication was not helping. The doctors suspected a migraine…
A jury in upstate New York awarded the family of a teacher $1.5 million after the teacher killed himself, which the family claimed was because of an unchecked prescription for antidepressants. According to the plaintiff’s case, the patient had not seen his doctor for 10 years and the doctor just kept filling…
It has only been a few weeks since Christmas and Hanukkah but already, some of those must-have toys are beginning to show their wear. Most parents and grandparents who buy toys for children on the holidays do not expect the plastic products to become family heirlooms. However, at the very least, consumers…
Any surgery carries some risk of complications, including cosmetic surgery. It is important for patients to understand the risks and benefits of any surgery in order to make an informed decision about their healthcare. Some cosmetic surgeons make it seem like there are few risks associated with common procedures but anytime general…
Any patient with a serious health concern has experienced the problem of the doctor simply not listening. Doctors have the training, education, and experience to diagnose and treat diseases and medical conditions. But the one thing that the doctor will never have is a lifetime inside the body of the patient. Patients…
A new year is a great time to think about getting into shape. New Year’s resolutions can give someone the focus to work on self-improvement, like eating better, getting regular exercise, or starting a gym regimen. However, people looking at prospective gym memberships should be aware of some of the dangers of…
After a serious medical error, the patient may be left requiring medical treatment for life. Serious injuries, including head injuries, birth injuries, and spinal cord injuries can require a lifetime of care, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in medical expenses. In order to recover damages from the negligent doctor,…
Most people think about hospitals as a place to go to recover from an injury. Unfortunately, the hospital can also be a place that is responsible for causing injuries. Many patients are designated as “fall-risk” if they may be at risk of injury for a slip and fall injury, losing balance, or…
There has been an increase in the number of medical malpractice claims related to COVID-19. Almost 5% of medical malpractice claims filed in the U.S. are related to the coronavirus. The healthcare industry has been pushing to limit liability related to COVID. However, at the same time, some doctors are failing to…