Harrisburg Medical Malpractice Blog

Supreme Court agrees to hear new case

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Sunday, September 16, 2018.

Many people in Pennsylvania are understandably concerned about the quality of their health care and their safety when undergoing treatments or medical procedures. Certainly, it is known that many treatments or procedures may involve some level of risk but that does not mean that doctors, surgeons and other medical professionals should be free from any responsibility to keep people safe from these risks.

Also important is that patients are provided proper details about the risks or potential complications they may face. For example, it is one thing to be told that a particular complication might occur, but a physician may also be able to let a person know how commonly such a complication has been known to happen. These nuances may help patients make their final decisions about what they want to do.

The importance of early diagnosis of preeclampsia

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Birth Injuries on Saturday, September 8, 2018.

Pregnant women and their partners in Pennsylvania know that proper prenatal care is essential for both mothers and babies. While it might seem almost routine anymore to be pregnant and deliver a baby in part due to advances in health care and healthy lifestyles, the fact remains that many serious complications can still arise during pregnancy. Preeclampsia, formerly known as toxemia, is one of those conditions.

As explained by WebMD, left untreated, preeclampsia can not only proceed to full eclampsia but can have severe and even fatal implications for mothers and babies. The importance of early detection of this condition cannot be overstated. There is no true cure for preeclampsia other than to deliver a baby but there are ways to monitor the condition and, in some cases, allow a pregnancy to continue for longer giving the baby more time to develop before being born.

Tire blow-out causes deadly truck accident

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Truck Accidents on Monday, September 3, 2018.

Pennsylvania residents know that an accident with a semi truck or other large commercial vehicle can be extremely serious given the massive size and weight of these big rigs. This is one of the reasons that there are laws in place to encourage safe operation of these vehicles by truck drivers.

However, it is not only the operation of the vehicle by a trucker that may factor into a crash. There is also an obligation on the part of trucking companies and truck owners to ensure their vehicles are in good working condition before they hit the road. This sadly may not have happened in the case of one recent crash that has left numerous people dead.

Dense tissue and mammography readings

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Saturday, September 1, 2018.

If you are a woman in Pennsylvania who is over the age of 40, you may get annual mammograms. You might even get these screenings if you are younger if you have a family history of breast cancer. If you have had a mammography technician or radiologist comment to you that your breast tissue is very dense, you are not alone but you should understand what this means and why they point this out to you.

As explained by WebMD, on a mammogram image, any growths or tumors show up as white spots on the film. The same is true of non-cancerous breast tissue that is very dense. This can make it more difficult for a radiologist to differentiate between a potential problem and healthy but simply lumpy breast tissue. It is even legally required that you are told by radiologists if they believe you have dense breast tissue.

How do you know if you need a lawyer after a car crash?

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP on Friday, August 24, 2018.

Pennsylvania roadways are not immune from the auto accident epidemic sweeping the nation. In 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported that approximately 351 crashes occurred every day on average. Out of those crashes, an average of 221 people sustained injuries daily.

Many people do not need to go to the doctor's office at all, and many drivers find minimal if any damage to their vehicles. This begs the question, "How do people know if they need to contact an attorney after a car accident?" Every case is different, but there are some good guidelines to follow.

Radiology errors a significant concern

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Sunday, August 19, 2018.

For people in Pennsylvania with serious medical conditions like cancer, the ability to have access to good diagnostic testing is critical. These tests can not only be used to make an initial diagnosis but to monitor one's progress throughout the treatment period and beyond. Certainly, early diagnosis of any cancer is important as this gives patients an improved chance of survival and may even reduce the nature of any long-term impact they experience.

These realities make the recently released results of a study particularly concerning. Radiology Business has released findings from the insurer, Coverys, that shows eight out of every 10 medical malpractice claims over a period of five years involved a radiology error. These errors most commonly involved test data being read inaccurately leading to inaccurate results being given to patients.

Did your crash result in back pain?

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Auto Accidents on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

Pennsylvania residents like you who have been involved in accidents know that the journey to recovery isn't over after the crash is done. Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski, LLP, are here to help you through the tumultuous struggle that can follow your involvement in a wreck. Today, we'll focus on handling back pain that is a result of an accident.

Chronic back and neck pain after an accident is actually very common. This is especially true if you've suffered from whiplash, which can contribute to pinched nerves and even slipped discs in your spine. Back and neck pain may not seem as immediately dangerous as other side-effects of crashes. However, they can be persistent and affect every area of your life.

What is Erb's palsy?

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Birth Injuries on Thursday, August 9, 2018.

Pennsylvanian residents like you rely on your medical team to deliver your baby safely. Unfortunately, unforeseen complications or mistakes on the part of the medical staff may result in birth injuries. Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski, LLP, are here to help you navigate through difficult situations in which your child has been injured during birth.

During the delivery of your baby, there are a number of things that the medical staff needs to be attentive to. Not only do they have to keep an eye on the baby's health, but they need to watch out for your health, too. While monitoring blood oxygen levels, overall wellness, and other crucial health indicators, it can be somewhat easy for staff to become distracted, which is where mistakes are made.

Can your mammogram result be incorrect?

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Medical Malpractice on Friday, August 3, 2018.

Pennsylvanian residents like you are encouraged to get a yearly checkup. For some, this may include mammograms, which are used to check the health of your breast tissue. This is a valuable tool when it comes to figuring out whether or not you could have breast cancer. But just how reliable are the results?

CBS News reported that many mammogram results are actually misread. False positive cancer readings have been reported at a height of around 16 percent of the total results. The cause of these mistakes is often misinterpretation of the results by the doctor. This issue is more common among those newer to the profession, who don't have quite as much practice with reading and interpreting the results.

Drunk driving laws may not be tough enough

On behalf of Navitsky, Olson & Wisneski LLP posted in Auto Accidents on Saturday, July 28, 2018.

Many people in Pennsylvania might hear about how tough the laws against drunk driving are yet they still hear and read about many serious and even fatal accidents caused by drunk drivers. Even though the state lowered the blood alcohol content threshold for drunk driving from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent 15 years ago, it seems law enforcement has not been able to stem the tide of deaths attributed to impaired drivers. This logically makes one wonder if the laws are tough enough.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2012 to 2016 between 28 percent and 31 percent of Pennsylvania's total vehicular fatalities each year occurred in accidents in which alcohol was a contributing factor. In 2016 alone, 1,188 people were killed in all auto crashes statewide and 327 of those died in drunk driving accidents. In Dauphin County specifically, 28 lives were lost between 2012 and 2016 at the hands of drunk drivers out of a total 115 automotive deaths.