Articles Posted in Defective Medical Devices

The result of a medication error can have damaging and life altering effects such as causing dementia, dizziness, overdosing, and even death. If a doctor makes a mistake when prescribing a medication or there is a medical mistake due to the medication prescribed, you may have means for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our experienced Michigan medical malpractice lawyers handle cases for victims of malpractice against doctors, hospitals, and clinics.

A medical error is the sixth primary reason of death in the United States and is completely preventable. According to the American Association for Justice, medical errors kill and seriously injure hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, costing approximately $29 billion. In addition, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement estimates that there are 15 million incidents of medical harm each year, and found that Medicare patients who experienced a patient-safety incident had a one-in-five chance of dying as a result.
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The vaginal mesh attorneys at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys are representing several mesh failure victims and are currently providing free lawsuit information to those located in Oklahoma.

The vaginal mesh and bladder sling products were designed to help assist women struggling with serious medical conditions. Unfortunately, studies have linked these products to exceptionally high failure rates, and several women have come forward with their injuries to pursue compensation.
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There are some health problems that may occur later in life as a result of child birth. Pelvic organ prolapse is one such problem. It occurs when the pelvic muscles become weak or damaged either because of injury or due to old age and the muscles cannot adequately support the pelvic organs any longer. It is estimated that half of women who have children will suffer from some form of prolapse at some point in their lives and that while the condition itself is not serious or life-threatening, it can still cause a great deal of distress to the patient and ought to be treated.

One such treatment method is a surgical procedure in which a device known as a transvaginal mesh is inserted to help treat the problem; sometimes the device is referred to as a sling. The procedure is still fairly novel and new materials are frequently used by companies trying to develop new designs for the product. Slings and meshes have been promoted as an excellent treatment option for women suffering from some degree of prolapse. One company that makes transvaginal meshes is Bard Avaulta. Their product has been used to treat incontinence and other problems associated with a prolapse. However, there have been problems and now the company and its products have opened their doors for lawsuits by pharmaceutical litigation lawyersPasadena speed traps.
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For many years, women suffering from pelvic organ prolapse, or POP, could do little to alleviate the problems associated with this condition. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when pelvic organs, such as the bladder, drop from their normal position into the lower part of the pelvis, creating pressure against the vagina and other organs. This change in position can result in a variety of health issues, such as stress incontinence, bowel problems, and difficulty with sex. Pelvic organ prolapsed is most common after childbirth, although women of any age can suffer from this condition.

When transvaginal surgical mesh products were first introduced, it seemed the answer to POP problems had been found. These devices, which were surgically placed in the vagina to correct the prolapsed organs’ position, provided surgeons with a useful tool to combat the condition. Over 200,000 women each year benefitted from the use of these products, and the Bard Avaulta System, manufactured by C. R. Bard, was one of the most popular.

However, the elation over this new surgical system was short-lived. Instead of correcting the problems associated with POP, many women found that they experienced health problems after their surgery, which were directly attributable to the Bard Avaulta System. These side effects included difficulty or pain during sex, undiagnosed vaginal pain, urinary problems such as incontinence and infection, pelvic pain and inflammation, general infections, erosion or hardening of the vaginal mesh, and damage to other organs. In some cases, the effects of the Bard Avaulta System were actually worse than the symptoms of the POP the device was designed to treat.
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Bisnar and Chase Zimmer knee replacement attorneys in California are experiencing an increase in recent calls and inquiries as more victims continue to come forward. Metal on metal implants have been a hot topic lately as the failure rate has been substantially higher than similar medical devices and patients are forced to fight through pain or undergo revision surgeries to help correct the problem. If you are using a Zimmer NexGen Knee Replacement, contact a Bisnar and Chase attorney at (800) 561-4887.

The Bisnar and Chase law firm has been helping victims for over 30 years, obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of defective medical devices, product defects, and auto defects. Brian Chase, partner, has achieved numerous outstanding trial attorney awards given to only the top product defect attorneys in the field.
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Victims of the defective Depuy ASR unit are coming forward by the masses; thousands of people are claiming serious injuries as a result of the device’s propensity to fail and one Orange County Depuy recall law firm is making sure that they get the compensation that they deserve. The Newport Beach based defective product law firm, Bisnar and Chase LLP, is leading the charge in Orange County for victims of the Depuy hip replacement device and look to compensate victims for their medical bills relating to the device’s failure as well as their pain and suffering.
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Studies are being released which may be warning of an increase of Depuy hip lawsuits. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Joint Registry for England and Wales said that an all-metal artificial hip once sold by Johnson & Johnson had failed in an estimated one-third of the patients who had been followed for the longest time. The reports listed Johnson and Johnson’s Articular Surface Replacement device, or the A.S.R., as having the highest failure rate. These reports have come as no surprise to the several victims who have come forward with injuries that they feel are directly related to these defective Depuy hip implants.
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Health officials in Alabama are now saying that cases linked to contaminated IV bags, which killed nine patients and sickened many others, started well before this month’s recall. According to a report in The Birmingham News, others are worried that the contaminated intravenous fluid could be in other pharmacies.

Ongoing Federal Investigation

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating an outbreak of the deadly serratia marcescens bacteria in six Alabama hospitals. So far, 19 patients have tested positive for the infection. Nine patients have died. A majority of infections occurred in March, but one case was reported in January and another in February, officials say.

All of the patients who were infected by the bacteria received intravenous fluids mixed by Alabama-based Meds IV. The company, on March 24, 2011, recalled all of its IV products manufactured since January 1. The company reportedly provided the contaminated IV bags to six hospitals in Alabama. This type of bacterial infection is treatable with medication in the early stages, but can be lethal, if not detected.
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A New Jersey medical device company that manufactures pediatric heart valves, conduits and patches used in heart surgery is fighting the U. S. Food and Drug Administration in court, stating that the federal agency wrongly quarantined about 1 million of its product parts because of concerns over sterility and health risks.

According to an article last week in the New Jersey Star Ledger , Shelhigh suffered a setback on May 30 when a federal judge made a ruling refusing to release the devices seized by FDA in April. The judge stated that he would not determine whether those devices met safety standards without a hearing, which he said he will schedule soon.

Meanwhile, there is a virtual war of words going on between the federal officials and Shelhigh, which is a small company with 50 or so employees. Most of the company’s devices are exported to Europe, particularly Italy and Spain. According to this newspaper article, federal officials claim in court papers that Shelhigh used a poorly constructed and maintained clean room, and failed to properly test the sterility of products.
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