Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, Asbestos Exposure and Other Tragedies You May Ignore (Reading About)

Lung Cancer, like all forms of cancer, is a terrible disease. It leaves its victims in so much pain and throws away their quality of life. It is caused through a variety of ways, the most popular one being tobacco smoking. Not surprising, considering the vast amount of people across the world who smoke. Less commonly known causes include exposure to petroleum gases you tend to inhale when at a filling station, exposure to asbestos and consistent exposure and/or inhalation of smog like that of being trapped in a gridlock rush hour.

A very rare form of lung tumors is mesothelioma. It affects a handful of people, for example in the United States, but its incidence rate is significantly growing, i.e. a lot more people than previously are being diagnosed with the malignant tumor. The cancer to a large degree can be caused by unprotected & prolonged exposure to asbestos. An outrageously high amount of the brave HERO rescue workers who endangered their lives to fight the madness of 9-11 as it unfolded in New York, developed mesothelioma and other (somewhat) preventable types of lung cancer. A lot of the SAINT rescue workers, beloved by their families, friends communities and country, sadly already passed away in the near decade since the atrocity was cowardly committed by terrorists.

There is no known cure for it to date. It is a horrible monster befalls unassuming, everyday people and shatters entire families. Many families grieving the loss of their loved one(s) are left to pick up the pieces from the havoc wrecked by the nightmare. Since mesothelioma is so much of a rare disease, it's very difficult for those left behind to come to terms with the realities of it, i.e. why it had to happen; 'If it's so rare, why did it have to happen to me/us etc?' I have had the chilling experience of witnessing a lady interact with group members of a mesothelioma forum, first asking everybody to keep her uncle in their prayers as he's battling mesothelioma, then returning a few days after to announce that he had passed away. This was very disturbing, especially as I was amongst the people who sent her goodwill messages to console her when she first made the announcement.

Due to the fact that mesothelioma is more often than not developed through the exposure to asbestos, it can unfortunately present itself in a number of (potentially) hazardous situations, if proper care is not taken to observe and inspect the environment at home, school, work or many other places. In the United States, for example, there have been a growing number of incidents of official/authoritative negligence on part of school boards, employers, government ministries etc to ensure that respectively children, artisans, civil servants etc are protected from (potentially) dangerous exposure to asbestos by protective means or even denial access.

The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center reported "Those who've studied the potential hazard of asbestos caused by the collapse of the World Trade Center estimate that more than 110,000 people may have suffered serious exposure including 80,000 tower workers, 30,000 local residents, and 4,000 first responders. Deborah Reeve was the first 9/11 emergency responder to die of mesothelioma. Doctors agree that her exposure to asbestos was a result of her days spent working at the recovery site."

By and large, many organisations and institutions tend to flout regulations and health & safety procedures stipulated by law or stick to them in a completely unacceptable manner. Thereby, people are put at risk of contracting the disease and/or those who have already been diagnosed with mesothelioma are left uncared for, unattended by institutions and unable to get the professional and highly competent support and assistance they require, in a legal capacity.

The track record of legal experts in the fields of lung cancer and mesothelioma has been impressive; incredible amounts of compensation have been paid out to families of mesothelioma sufferers, in support of their plight to fight the cancer and address the gross maltreatment and inequality they have experienced at the hands of their academic or vocational superiors. It is therefore advised to quickly seek the help of a trusted legal expert, with a proven track record on lung cancer and mesothelioma litigation cases to best address the legal needs in the way it is deserved to have it treated.

Under no circumstances does this article intend in any way to discredit the United States of America. The content has been attempted to be portrayed as factually as possible. Any subliminal mocking of any nature that could possibly be inferred from it, is completely unintentional.

References:

The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center http://www.maacenter.org/jobsites/WTC/asbestos.php

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Dental Malpractice   What Is Medical Negligence and What Does It Mean for You?   

Medical Tools Sometimes Left Inside Patients After Surgery: Three Ways To Avoid Becoming A Statistic

Fortunately, it happens infrequently. That's little comfort to the one in 5,000 surgical patients who end up with medical tools left inside of them after an operation.

Numerous strict procedures are in place in most hospitals to minimize the risk of losing track of surgical instruments during a procedure. Nevertheless, the numbers of these instances are believed to be on the rise worldwide.

It's difficult to pin down the numbers of cases of medical tools being left in patients' bodies after operations. This is because there are few or no national or international, standardized methods or requirements for disclosing such information publicly.

Instead, it's often up to individual surgeons and hospitals how to record and whether to divulge to potential patients such cases of "lost" surgical instruments. Most choose not to make it widely available. The result is a public that is largely unaware of the possible risks of going home after surgery with medical tools inside.

Hundreds of thousands of operations are performed daily across the US alone. A vast majority are performed safely and with due diligence.

It is a very small percentage of patients that experience mistakes by physicians. This includes having surgical instruments sewn up in their bodies.

Every hospital in North America, in fact, has strong policies in place to prevent this. The most important one, which is very easy to administer and monitor, is the inventory policy.

Surgeons and/or the nurses who assist them must take a detailed inventory of every medical tool to be used in a procedure. They must then re-count and account for each one of those surgical instruments after the procedure. In theory, any missing medical tools require should lead to follow up investigation.

However, mistakes can and do occur. Many doctors concur that even just one mistake is one too many.

Sometimes surgeons realize their mistake shortly after stitching up the patient. This almost always necessitates extra diagnostic tests like x-ray or ultrasound. It may even lead to having to undo sutures or make new incisions to find and/or remove the missing medical tool. The result is longer-than-anticipated surgery times and extended hospital stays.

In rare cases, the missing surgical instrument gets overlooked altogether. Post-op patients are simply sent home to recover.

Instead, they develop recurrent infections, fevers and chronic pain. Sometimes they end up with lacerations, punctures or tears in organs or tissue from the medical tool. When this occurs, permanent damage is a possibility.

In the rarest of cases, patients may suffer from unexplained illnesses and pain for years. Unfortunately, depending on the type of surgical instrument and the location it ends up, it may not be detected by x-ray or ultrasound.

The patient may be written off by the medical community as a chronic complainer or as having a mental illness. They are sometimes misdiagnosed as clinically depressed.

They may also be diagnosed with an illness that is difficult to verify, like fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome. The emotional and physical toll on such patients can be tremendous.

Surgical patients have minimal control over what happens during an operation. This is particularly true in cases where a patient undergoes general anesthesia for the procedure.

Instead, those who are contemplating or planning a surgery should plan ahead. Taking steps to prevent the possibility of a medical tool being left behind can include:

1) Ask for statistics/records: Granted, these can be difficult to obtain. Even if you ask the right questions of the right people, you may still be denied the information you are looking for.

However, you have the right as a consumer to ask questions, even if it annoys someone. Call your hospital's records department and ask if you can have access to their medical malpractice statistics. Ask in particular about cases of surgical instruments being left inside of patients.

Ask the same questions of your surgeon, too. Your surgeon may have a better personal track record than the hospital in general.

2) Find out what procedure your hospital uses to minimize the risk of losing track of surgical instruments: Some hospitals have implemented state-of-the-art bar code technology to prevent the misplacement of medical tools.

With this system, all surgical instruments are scanned by bar code into a computer prior to surgery. Surgical instruments may also then be counted manually as well. The medical tools are then re-scanned after the procedure. Computers often catch errors that humans miss.

3) Be your own advocate: If you experience unexplained pain, re-curing fever or infections or other health problems post-surgery, make a fuss. Insist that your doctor(s) do more thorough testing.

Specifically mention the possibility that you have a medical tool/surgical instrument lodged in your body. Sometimes all it takes not to have your complaints written off is persistence.

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Failure to Diagnose Cancer Case - How Does It Work?   Nursing Care Malpractice (Part I)   

What to Do When You Are a Victim of Medical Malpractice?

According to healthcare experts, medical malpractice has become the third main cause of death in the US. When a doctor or any other healthcare professional does something wrong or ignores their duty and harms the patient is known as medical malpractice.

If you think you or any of your close friends has become a victim of medical negligence, you need to file a lawsuit against the careless healthcare professional to recover a compensation for the damage.

To secure the rights of the victim and to prevent the responsible doctor from continuing his mistakes on other people, there are few important steps to be taken. Here's an easy to understand list that will help you:

1. If you feel you are a victim of medical negligence, ask the responsible doctor or healthcare professional what happened. Do not assume anything, judge everything critically. Do you really think it's a case of medical negligence? Doctors are ethically bound to answer their patients truthfully. However, if you think he is lying and trying to avoid you and your family or friends, it is time to sue him legally. Remember, any conversation with the responsible healthcare professional can be used as useful evidence in the court.

2. You will have to show your medical documents in the court. Without proper documents your case can be rejected. So, retain a complete copy of your medical documents and bills. If you do not have them with you, ask the hospital to provide you all the documents. This is essential to defend your rights and get adequate compensation from the responsible side. If the hospital denies or delays to give you the medical documents, that will be another evidence in your favor.

3. This is the most important step to be taken in a medical malpractice case. You need to hire a specialized medical malpractice lawyer to defend your rights. Without an experienced lawyer by your side it will become difficult to pursue your claim. A medical malpractice lawyer will investigate the case critically and arrange evidences in your favor. An expert lawyer knows how to help you get the right amount of compensation you deserve. But make sure, you are hiring a specialized and experienced lawyer with a good track record.

Being a victim of someone else's carelessness is a traumatic experience for the injured person and his family. You cannot let the responsible healthcare professional get away so easily. Medical malpractice is a serious crime. So, make sure that the criminal is not going to repeat the same thing to another patient. If you are looking for lawyers who specialize in dealing with medical malpractice, Iowa City (IA) is the right place for you. But, make sure you are hiring the right attorney who will fight for you and help you get a favorable outcome.

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Have You Acquired Hepatitis?   Anesthetics at the Dentist   Litigating the Brain Damaged Baby Case From the Initial Interview to Trial   

Anesthesia Errors During Surgery

In many ways, anesthesia makes surgery possible. It sedates patients so that they do not feel pain. Without it, it would likely be impossible to safely perform many of the operations that are fairly easy to accomplish today.

Unfortunately, anesthesia can also be incredibly harmful if it is not used correctly. Before surgical procedures, specialized doctors administer anesthesia. These doctors, called anesthesiologists, have received training in determining how much anesthesia a person needs, administering medication, and monitoring patients during surgery.

Failure to apply this knowledge when taking care of actual patients may cause the anesthesiologist's patients serious harm.

The first avenue for potential harm is failing to determine the correct dosage for a given patient. Since all people are different, there is no set amount of medication that sedates every person; different people have different tolerances.

As such, the anesthesiologist must determine how much anesthetic an individual needs. Overdosing a patient may lead to permanent brain damage or may cause a patient to go into a coma. Underdosing a patient may cause him or her to wake up during surgery or to feel the procedure being done.

The next way to suffer harm is through improper administration. Patients receive sedation through tubes placed into their lungs from their noses or mouths. Since this is a far distance to travel, careless anesthesiologists may puncture a lung or damage the trachea when inserting tubes.

The final way a patient can suffer harm is when an anesthesiologist fails to monitor the patient during surgery. Since an individual's vitals may change during the course of a procedure, anesthesiologists must stay alert to ensure that their patients are not suffering harm because of the anesthesia.

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Should I Sue My Doctor?   The Future of Obamacare After Oral Arguments   

Things To Consider When Looking At A Malpractice Attorney

At the current time there are a few legal issues individuals will be able to manage on their own such as setting up small companies, simple wills, and basic courtroom actions. When it comes to having an issue dealing with a malpractice case though it is actually ideal to have it dealt with by a knowledgeable legal professional. A negligence or malpractice attorney will certainly understand exactly who to take legal action against, when to file suit, and exactly what legitimate arguments tend to be the most advantageous with regard to your own scenario. Other benefits for having a professional is that they will have a complete understanding of what documents to submit to the court docket and exactly when to submit them, precisely how to deal with courtroom charges, and the way to collect proof regarding your case. An experienced attorney at law will certainly also understand precisely how to deal with the lawyers that will be representing the defendant you are in litigation with. The most essential aspect though is that one's lawyer will function as your own counsel and get you the best settlement possible.

One of the most crucial characteristics of a malpractice lawyer is their ability to assist a person in analyzing their own circumstance right from the start. The legal professional will certainly evaluate the particular details associated with your own circumstance, compare it to the current rule of law, and provide you with a strategy of how to approach your case and help determine the actual chances that the case will prevail in court. Since you are the one who was injured, you will sometimes have an emotional attachment to your case. You may possibly truly feel you would like to prosecute to get even, but that does not mean that your actual case has any merit or a chance in court. It is the attorney's duty to assist a person to figure out if the actual issue is well worth ones time, and out-of-pocket costs since they will add up as the suit progresses.

A great malpractice attorney at law who is recognized amongst other attorneys in the local area will give a person a much better chance in settling the case and even maximize the amount of money you might receive. One final thing to remember is that only an experienced lawyer would be able to tell you what your case might be worth. They will have records of prior cases that are much like your own and will be able to use them to make good estimates.

Finally, make sure to hire a lawyer that is backed by a firm with a good reputation. You want an attorney with experience and a financial backing. By doing this you will greatly increase your chances of prevailing in the case.

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Anesthetics at the Dentist   What Is Medical Negligence?   

Defending Your Nursing License

All nurses are required to be licensed by their state licensing board in order to legally practice nursing within the state. Prospective nurses must undergo a rigorous background investigation in order to become licensed and must meet certain standards throughout their licensure in order to keep the privilege of practicing nursing. If at any point a licensed nurse is believed to have violated the standard of care or other license regulations, he or she may face a licensing board review and disciplinary action.

Nursing Grounds for Discipline

Nursing board license standards can vary from state to state. Some of the common grounds for discipline that may lead to a nursing board investigation include:

Chemical dependency Criminal arrests or convictions Fraud Medical malpractice Practicing while a license is pending Professional misconduct Standard of care violations

Defending Your Case

If you are entering into a nursing board investigation because you have been suspected of violating the standards or regulations set forth by your licensing board, consider consulting with an experienced nursing license defense lawyer as soon as possible. Just as you would never trust your medical treatment to someone without a medical background, don't trust your license defense to anyone without a strong legal background.

A good license defense attorney can help to clarify the circumstances of your case and will work diligently to protect your legal rights and interests. He or she will handle all communications with your licensing board and will work to pursue the best possible resolution for your case. You may be eligible to negotiate a case dismissal, reduced disciplinary action, rehabilitation, or other alternatives to losing your license.

For More Information

To learn more about defending your license during a nursing board investigation, visit the website of the Texas nursing license defense lawyers of the Leichter Law Firm today.

What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Anesthetics at the Dentist