DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Infections of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus may be an overlooked cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to research published in a recent edition of the medical journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Making certain that young children receive their recommended vaccinations is particularly important for their long-term health ― as well as for the health of their friends and classmates. Vaccines protect children against common seasonal diseases like the flu, but they also help prevent much rarer, more serious diseases.

All parents can determine what vaccines their children need and when the doses should be administered by consulting the nationally recommended Childhood Immunization Schedules, available on the web site of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If a child falls behind schedule on his or her vaccinations, it can sometimes be difficult to determine the best way to catch up. To help, the CDC has developed a Catch-Up Immunization Scheduler -- an online tool that shows parents and healthcare providers the best options for getting children six years of age and younger back on schedule.

Rotavirus cases in the current 2007-2008 season showed up much later than usual and have been less severe, overall, than during any previous season on record, according to an interim report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) -- a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recently launched an educational campaign to encourage patients (particularly those 50 years of age or older) to speak openly with their primary care providers about complementary and alternative medicines.  The campaign, known as Time to Talk, focuses on medical practices and products that aren't presently considered to be conventional medicine -- items such as herbal supplements, meditation and acupuncture.

The 2008 edition of the schedule of recommended immunizations for people 18 years of age and younger has been posted by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) -- a division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The advisory committee releases new recommendations annually to reflect changes in vaccine formulations and current recommendations for the use of licensed vaccines. 

This summer, don't wait until the last few busy weeks before fall school registration begins to make your child's vaccination appointment -- schedule an appointment now, and enjoy a safer summer. 

Changes from the 2007 immunization schedule are as follows:

Elevated levels of allergens in the home are associated with asthma symptoms in allergic individuals, and asthmatics who experience allergies may improve their health by reducing allergen exposures.  The findings are the result of new research published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and reported in a recent press release by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

A newly updated annual ranking of state medical boards by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has revealed widespread discrepancies in both the numbers of disciplinary actions taken against physicians' licenses, and the rates of those disciplinary actions from state to state.  Though the specific numbers have changed again this year, a pronounced trend of significant discrepancies between individual states has held constant for years.  Unless geography influences a physician's competence, these state-by-state discrepancies point to a dangerously inadequate national system of physician oversight -- one that could conceivably allow dangerous, incompetent physicians to continue to practice medicine by moving from state to state.

Despite the rising costs of fuel this year, millions of Americans will be hitting the nation's roads and airports for a summer vacation -- and for those who suffer from seasonal allergies, summer traveling can pose some unique challenges.  The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), reminds travelers that the climate of your destination, rather than your home, determines the pollens and molds to which you'll be exposed on vacation, and that all seasonal allergy sufferers should take time to plan their clothing and needed medications appropriately. 

The academy offers the following additional allergy management tips for summer vacationers:

New hemoglobin-based artificial blood -- still unapproved for use in the U.S., but heavily studied -- appears to raise a patient's risk of heart attack and death according to an exhaustive review of clinical research data.  This latest research was published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  The findings have spurred critics to allege that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put clinical trial participants in imminent danger by failing to detect or act on research data illustrating significant increases in the rates of heart attack and death reported in trials of these blood substitutes.

Laser eye surgeries such as LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) are quickly becoming some of the most common and technologically sophisticated procedures available for correcting relatively minor vision problems.  Generally performed on an out-patient basis with the aid of only anesthetic eye drops, LASIK procedures are usually quick and easy, and the results are often remarkable.  Unfortunately, however, the results can be underwhelming, too -- and occasionally even catastrophic. 

To help clear up some misconceptions and misinformation regarding LASIK procedures, and to help consumers better understand the risks of laser eye surgeries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a web page devoted specifically to patient education.  According to the agency, there are a few categories of people who should think twice before they attempt to resolve their vision problems with LASIK surgery.

A Mumps comeback in the U.S. in 2006 was alarming in its severity, and the disease may now take several years to completely eradicate, according to federal public health experts.  Interestingly, the viral outbreak occurred despite the routine administration of a second dose of a mumps vaccine throughout the early 1990s.  These findings were reported in a recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).  Among other data presented in the article is the fact that 84% of people between 18 and 24 years of age who contracted Mumps during the outbreak had already been given the second recommended dose of MMR vaccine -- a dose that should have protected them from Mumps.

Physicians treating chest pain in patients who are young, or in those who have no obvious risk factors for heart disease, should ask those patients about their potential cocaine use.  The advice is a key recommendation by the American Heart Association (AHA), recently published in the medical journal Circulation. 

If you see someone suffer a heart attack and go unconscious, immediately dial 9-1-1 and begin pushing on his or her chest as hard and as often as you can -- don't stop until someone else can take over, or until paramedics arrive.  Those are the latest instructions from the American Heart Association (AHA), which is now confident that hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be done in an emergency, even by people who have no CPR training.  Throat sweeping and mouth-to-mouth emergency breathing are still recommended, but not for bystanders -- those components are only encouraged for trained medical personnel.  The organization's new position appears in the March 29 issue of the medical journal Circulation.

Adverse drug events affect about 7% of U.S. children in hospitals -- adverse events such as getting the wrong medication, the wrong doses of medication, and dangerous, preventable reactions.  The percentage is much higher than previous estimates, too, underscoring growing concerns about medical errors involving hospitalized children, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics.

West Nile virus infections can lead to significant long-term health problems, including mental and functional impairment and depression, according to data from an ongoing National Institutes of Health study recently presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.  The research data collected thus far, as reported by Reuters Health, suggests that the most common long-term symptoms include fatigue, weakness, depression, personality changes, difficulty walking, memory loss and blurry vision.

National survey findings released this month demonstrate that although most adults are aware of serious eye diseases commonly associated with visual impairment, they lack critical knowledge concerning how and when to seek timely detection and treatment of those diseases.  The Survey of Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Eye Health and Disease, was jointly sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF).  Conducted in 2005, the survey data was made available just this month. 

A simple new lab test can reliably predict which patients will suffer acute kidney failure following surgery, giving physicians as many as three additional days in which to initiate treatment.  The development could lead to significantly improved patient outcomes, according to researchers whose findings appear in the latest edition of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Reducing the television and computer time of obese children by half can subsequently reduce the amount of food they eat and help them lose weight -- even if those children don't increase their physical activity at all.  The finding is the result of a new study published in a recent edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

A new study conducted at Seattle Children's Hospital indicates that many children hosptalized with influenza have had a recent prior hospitalization that would have provided an opportunity to receive the flu vaccine.  Complete results of the study appear in a recent issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Though unintentional and accidental burns to the mouth occasionally occur during tonsillectomy, relatively few are ever reported as medical errors, according to new research published in the Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.  Researchers report that some injuries have been so severe as to require reconstructive surgery.

Health complications during pregnancy can be scary and complicated, not to mention fatal.  Fortunately, there are a number of well-understood pregnancy-related health risks that can be eliminated through education and careful prevention measures.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer the following infection prevention tips to ensure prenatal health, in observance of National Prenatal Infection Prevention Month:

Each year more than 7,000 children 11 years of age or younger visit hospital emergency rooms due to incidents involving over-the-counter cough and cold medications.  Two-thirds of those incidents involve kids taking the medications without adult supervision.  The findings are the result of recent research published in the journal Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Public Health Advisory

Nonprescription Cough and Cold Medicine Use in Children

FDA Recommends that Over-the-Counter (OTC) Cough and Cold Productsnot be used for Infants and Children under 2 Years of Age

"FDA has completed its review of information about the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines in infants and children under 2 years of age.  FDA is recommending that these drugs not be used to treat infants and children under 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur.

FDA’s recommendation is based on both the review of the information we received about serious side effects in children and the discussion and recommendations made at the October 18–19, 2007, public advisory committee meeting at which this issue was discussed.  FDA strongly supports the actions taken by many pharmaceutical manufacturers to voluntarily withdraw cough and cold medicines that were being sold for use in this age group. 

FDA has not completed its review of information about the safety of OTC cough and cold medicines in children 2 through 11 years of age.  We are aware of reports of serious side effects from cough and cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older.  FDA is committed to completing its comprehensive and thorough review of the safety of OTC cough and cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older as quickly as possible and expects to communicate our recommendations to the public in the near future. 

Pending completion of FDA’s ongoing review, if parents and caregivers use OTC cough and cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older, FDA recommends:

• Checking the “active ingredients” section of the DRUG FACTS label.  This will help you understand what “active ingredients” are in the medicine and what symptoms each active ingredient is intended to treat. Cough and cold medicines often have more than one “active ingredient” (such as an antihistamine, a decongestant, a cough suppressant, an expectorant, or a pain reliever/fever reducer).
  
  
• Being very careful if you are giving more than one OTC cough and cold medicine to a child.  Many OTC cough and cold medicines have more than one “active ingredient.”  If you use two medicines that have the same or similar “active ingredients” a child could get too much of an ingredient which may hurt your child. For example, do not give a child more than one medicine that has an antihistamine.
  
  
• Carefully following the directions in the DRUG FACTS part of the label.  These directions tell you how much medicine to give and how often you can give it.

• Only using the measuring spoons or cups that come with the medicine or those made specially for measuring drugs. Do not use common household spoons to measure medicines for children since household spoons come in different sizes and are not meant for measuring medicines.
  
  
• Choosing OTC cough and cold medicines with childproof safety caps, when available, and store the medicines out of the reach of children.
  
  
• Understanding that using OTC cough and cold medicines are intended only to treat your child’s symptom(s).  OTC cough and cold medicines do not treat the cause of the symptoms or shorten the length of time your child is sick.  They only relieve symptoms and make your child feel more comfortable.
  
  
• Not using these products to sedate your child or make children sleepy.
  
  
• Calling a physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional if you have any questions about using cough or cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older. "
  

Buckwheat honey appears to give children more relief from the symptoms of upper respiratory infection than does the once-popular over-the-counter medication dextromethorphan (DM), or no treatment at all, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

Lack of a protein that aids in the development of brain synapses may be partly responsible for autism, according to scientists at the Picower Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.).  This latest research was research recently published in the journal Neuron.

Levels of lead in childrens' blood which were previously thought to be safe could actually be contributing to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to researchers at Michigan State University.  Their research findings will appear in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry, the official journal of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. 

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association, 3% - 7% of school-age children suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) -- a disease that often leads to failure in school, difficulty in relationships and employment, and even to alcohol and drug abuse.  Still, finding unbiased, dependable literature regarding ADHD treatment options and medications can be difficult. 

The new ADHD Parents Medication Guide is a free, comprehensive reference and treatment guide published by a network of medical professionals and parent advocacy groups with no pharmaceutical funding or editorial support.  The guide can be downloaded at:  www.ParentsMedGuide.org, and is sponsored in part by each of the following organizations:

Sustained TV exposure contributes to behavioral problems in children. However, gradually reducing exposure during early childhood can eliminate that risk.  The finding is a result of research at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, published recently in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  According to the study, children whose television exposure totals fewer than 2 hours per day by age 5 1/2 face little or no added risk of social or behavioral problems due to the exposure.