| Announcements |
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| IMPORTANT TTLA BOARD MEETING NOTICE |
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SPECIAL CALLED TTLA Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, September 11, 2009, 9:00 am – Noon, TTLA’s Williams Conference Center, Austin, TX. For more information contact Rhonda High 512-476-3852 or rhonda@ttla.com.
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| Laws/Cases |
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| Jury: Hospital Negligent for Paralysis |
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A New York jury has awarded $19.2 million to a man who was left paralyzed by the negligence of a Bronx hospital. According to court documents, staff at the Montefiore Medical Center failed to diagnose an infection on Wilfredo Figueroa’s spinal cord that ultimately caused paralysis. A spokesman for the hospital said they would likely appeal the verdict. Dorian Block, New York Daily News 07/29/2009
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| Read Article:
New York Daily News
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| Family Drops Lawsuit Against Pfizer |
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The family of a Massachusetts woman whose suicide was allegedly spurred on by the epilepsy drug Neurontin has agreed to drop their lawsuit against Pfizer Inc., Bloomberg News reports. In the suit, the family of Susan Bulger alleged that Pfizer marketed the Neurontin for unapproved uses and failed to warn that the drug may increase the risk of suicidal behavior. About 1,200 cases involving Neurontin are currently pending against Pfizer. Jef Feeley and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg 07/30/2009
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| Read Article:
Bloomberg
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| Judge Nixes Punitive Damages in Fosamax Case |
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A federal judge has dismissed the possibility of punitive damages in the first trial involving Merck’s osteoporosis drug Fosamax. Plaintiffs in more than 850 lawsuits claim that Merck failed to warn that the drug may cause jawbone tissue death, a condition commonly referred to as “jaw rot.” The case is the first of three trials intended to help bring about settlements in the remaining related claims. Thom Weidlich and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg 07/29/2009
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| Read Article:
Bloomberg
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| Healthcare |
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| Hepatitis Outbreak May Affect Other Hospitals |
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Texas health officials are investigating whether a surgery technician implicated in a hepatitis C scare in Colorado may have spread the disease while she worked at a Houston-area hospital during 2005 and 2006. A spokesperson for the Texas health department said the agency is trying to determine whether Kristen Diane Parker had hepatitis C while she worked at Christus St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay. Parker admitted that she stole syringes containing a narcotic painkiller from Denver's Rose Medical Center and replaced them with used syringes containing saline. Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle 07/29/2009
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| Read Article:
Houston Chronicle
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| Insurance |
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| Lawmakers Approve Flood Insurance Extension |
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House lawmakers approved a six-month extension for the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program Wednesday amid pressure to shore up the struggling program, according to Reuters. The measure next moves to the Senate who will consider a version of the bill that does not include a controversial wind-damages coverage provision. Homeowners argue that private wind-damage coverage is often difficult to get and should be added to the program. The addition of wind-damage coverage has been strongly opposed by the insurance industry and the Obama administration. Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters 07/29/2009
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| Read Article:
Reuters
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| Study |
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| Troubled Bus Firms Remain Open Under New Names, Report Finds |
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A new report from the Government Accountability Office has concluded that scores of commercial bus and tractor-trailer companies ordered to close because of safety violations remain in operation under new names. According to the report, at least 20 bus companies and nearly 1,100 trucking companies are believed to have dodged compliance that should have forced them to shut down. A commercial bus company blamed for a crash that killed 17 passengers in Texas last year was among the companies that changed named to avoid federal safety rules, the report said. Hope Yen, Chicago Tribune 07/30/2009
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| Read Article:
Chicago Tribune
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| Study: Anesthesia Not Harmful in C-Section Births |
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Exposure to anesthesia during Caesarean section births does not adversely affect brain development in children, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers. In the study, researchers found that children of mothers placed under general anesthesia during C-sections were about as likely to develop learning disabilities as children who were delivered vaginally. A separate study by the same group determined that repeated exposure to anesthesia before the age of 4 may contribute to learning disabilities. Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times 07/30/2009
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| Read Article:
The New York Times
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| Study Notes Drop in Death Rates for Obesity Surgery Patients |
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The risk of death or major complications for patients undergoing obesity surgery has dropped significantly during the past several years, new research has concluded. According to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, only three of every 1,000 patients who received gastric bands or stomach stapling between 2005 and 2007 died during or within a month of their surgery. The rate of major complication was 43 for every 1,000 surgeries. Marilynn Marchione, The Washington Post 07/30/2009
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| Read Article:
The Washington Post
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