A recent study using the National Inpatient Sample database for 2008 found that there was a "weekend effect" for patients admitted with atrial fibrillation. Previously, the "weekend effect" has been seen with stroke, myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal bleeding,...
Blog
Medical Malpractice
Unnecessary Medical Procedures for Profit?
The New York Times is reporting that cardiologists have been performing unnecessary and dangerous cardiac procedures at HCA hospitals in Florida....
Fall from Operating Table
We filed a lawsuit this week against Yale-New Haven Hospital and a surgeon, Dr. Joseph Akar, on behalf of a client who fell from the operating table following a fairly routine procedure. The woman went to the hospital for the implantation of a pacemaker and while...
Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Recently, there have been several reports in the news of cases of necrotizing fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating bacteria." First we heard about Aimee Copeland, a 24 year-old graduate student in Georgia, who has already had one leg amputated, and had her...
Loss of consortium claim for same-sex civil union?
The recent flurry of national activity surrounding same-sex marriages brings to mind a recent case of ours. Margaret Mueller ("Marge") and her longtime partner Charlotte Stacey came to our firm several years ago. Marge had been treating for ovarian cancer for about...
Problems with Orthopedic Procedures
It was reported in today's New York Times that Mariano Rivera developed a blood clot in his leg following arthroscopic repair of his right knee. While not all blood clots are the result of improper care, problems can arise from orthopedic procedures that are not...
Lohnes
In Lohnes v. Hospital of Saint Raphael, (released November 15, 2011), Justice Borden, writing for the Appellate Court added to the building body of case law interpreting and applying General Statutes §§ 52-190a and 52-184c. The several issues presented in...
Minorities suffer from lack of access, quality medical care
Patients are often harmed by medical negligence and errors that are the result of systemic problems in the delivery of healthcare. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the treatment of minorities and the poor. Government studies have consistently shown that access to...
Duty to Mitigate Charge Clarified
In Drake v. Bingham (AC 30265) (to be released September 27, 2011), the Appellate Court reversed the medical malpractice verdict in favor of the defendant on the grounds that the trial court failed to properly charge the jury on the issue of mitigation of damages. The...
Cerebral palsy birth injury suit results in $58.6 million verdict
A few weeks ago, my partner, Kathleen Nastri and I concluded a case involving cerebral palsy from a birth injury where the jury returned a verdict of more than $58 million. This is the largest medical malpractice verdict in Connecticut history. The family had...