Discontinuation of Vaginal Ring Use Relates to Adverse Effects
Although vaginal rings remain popular among young women, there have been news about their negative side effects that are prominently mentioned in several NuvaRing birth control cases, media reports say. Women who have been using the small plastic ring for a long time have considered discontinuing its use, according to reproductive health surveys, as blood clots emerged as one of their primary concerns. An artery or vein may end up being clogged by the clot which may cut off the blood flow to a certain organ of the body. Such adverse impact may be dangerous, especially if the clot is caught in the heart, lung or brain. Heart attack and stroke are life-threatening situations that need immediate care. Thus, it may be prudent for a woman to consider all the risks before starting to use any kind of contraception.
URL References:
c4urself.org.uk/youth/contraring.php
fsrh.org/pdfs/NuvaringProductReview240309.pdf
Hip Replacement Patients Experience Weight Loss After Surgery
Hip replacement surgery is thought to alleviate pain and lead a more active lifestyle, medical experts say. This is quite the case as weight loss may be one side effect of getting new hips. However, there are reports about surgical modification of Stryker hip replacement implant due to its side effects.
Researchers looked at pre- and post-surgery weight in 196 randomly selected patients who had hip or knee replacement surgery from 2005 to 2007 due to osteoarthritis. Their body mass index was noted before surgery, and patients were followed for almost 20 months.
Instead of just calculating how much weight patients gained or lost within the study period, researchers factored in how much weight people naturally gain on average per year from ages 29 to 73. After adjusting for that natural weight gain, a trend might be seen toward lower weight and BMI after surgery. Among all participants, after correcting for weight gain, 19.9 percent showed significant weight loss.
In a news release, lead author Dr. Michael Bronson said, “Both total knee patients and total hip patients experienced a statistically significant and clinically significant corrected weight loss following surgery, which indicates a healthier overall lifestyle.” Bronson is chief of joint replacement surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Source:
sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100726151607.htm
Possible Settlement for Stryker Hip Injuries
Stryker Orthopaedics recalled two of its products used in all-metal hip replacement systems: the Rejuvenate and ABG II modular-neck stem devices. The recall was provoked by reports of fretting and corrosion at the modular neck junction which may cause tissue damage and other injuries. Individuals injured by Stryker products may be entitled to settlements through Stryker hip recall lawsuits.
In a typical Stryker hip replacement lawsuit, patient medical records, corporate documents, and expert medical testimony would all be examined thoroughly to determine the amount of compensation for Stryker hip injuries.
News articles often define personal injury jury awards and settlement amounts as a single lump sum. The total amount, however, is made up of several separately considered categories of damages. In a usual personal injury or product liability lawsuit, a plaintiff can recover for the following categories of damages:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future wage losses
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Disability
- Pain and suffering
In addition to such compensatory damages, juries may award punitive or exemplary damages in certain cases. Punitive damages are not intended to compensate an injured plaintiff, rather, they are tailored to punish particularly atrocious behavior on the part of the defendant. Though uncommon, punitive damages are often awarded in product liability cases to decrease the profit incentive for selling unsafe products.
Source:
discover-medical.com/2012/07/variable-compensation-for-stryker/
Escalation on Antidepressant Expenditure Revealed by Media
A Reuters news story says that the US government is spending much on curing depression. However, news reports say that harmful effects may take place in using antidepressants like birth defects caused by Zoloft.
Legal observers says “the increase in spending is believed to be caused mainly by the prolific increase in prescriptions written for antidepressants like Zoloft.”
“Mental health spending per patient rose from $2,802 t0 $3,610 during the time period studied, with antidepressant use rising from 81 to 87 percent and antipsychotic drug prescriptions skyrocketing from 26 percent to 42 percent of patients,” says the National Institute of Mental Health.
In addition, over the past 15 years, a high escalation of antidepressant use was shown in a study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). This was published on the website Psychiatric Times. It further shown a 400 percent increase in usage among adults aged 18-44.
References:
• depression.about.com/od/sertraline/a/Zoloft-Side-Effects.htm
• drugs.com/zoloft.html
Granuflo Maker, Fresenius Medical Care, Knows Product’s Risk of Cardiac Arrest
One of the most devastating complications that may arise from hemodialysis treatments is cardiac arrest. RenalWEB (a neutral website, with no affiliation, that caters to the dialysis industry and community) was able to obtain a copy of an internal memo, dated November 4, 2011, issued by Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMC). The memo carries the indication that FMC was aware of the considerable increase in the chance of cardiac arrest and death during hemodialysis treatments. Such risk is associated with the company’s Granuflo® dialysis formulations that uniquely use sodium diacetate. FMC top executives are aware of the source of such potential problem even during the time the product was just being introduced into the market in 2003. It was perplexing to note that, as a clinical problem began to become evident around 2010, there seems to be an effort by FMC executives to avoid the proper reporting of the problem to the FDA, as well as to other government agencies concerned with product and medical health regulations. Furthermore, it appears that the same top officials of FMC also made moves in withholding the information from non-FMC physicians and clinical establishments that has interest in Granuflo products. It is suspected that there was an involved collusion among officials in different FMC company departments and organizations to mislead, hide, and obscure information about the safety hazards of the product for reason of maintaining the company’s market share, not to mention minimizing and diffusing inevitable legal repercussion. Perhaps, it can be surmised that this situation may have led the Chief Medical Officer of FMC, Raymond Hakim, MD, PhD, to unceremoniously step down from his position as per company announcement dated November 2011.
The cardiac risk that Granuflo has allegedly caused is now subject to some lawsuits. In October 4, 2012, a federal court GranuFlo lawsuit was filed by a Florida woman against the manufacturer for wrongful death. Gloria Smith, the plaintiff, claimed that the dry acid concentrate used in the hemodialysis treatment for her husband led to the latter’s death. The lawsuit also stated that Fresenius USA Inc. has the knowledge of the cardiac risks related to its GranuFlo dialysis treatment even during the product’s introduction in 2003. To aggravate the company’s legal liabilities, it took several years for the manufacturer to bring such life-saving information to public attention. Thus, the manufacturer is believed responsible for Mr. Smith’s death.
Reference:
renalweb.com/writings/alkalosis/BetterFMCOutcomes.htm