Nursing Home Patients Continue To Receive Drugs Associated With Known Dangers
Through no fault of their own, many nursing home patients continue to receive medications known to potentially cause serious injury or death. Many of these situations involve claims for damage against the drug manufacturers themselves. In other cases, the prescribing physician may be partially responsible for failing to monitor the patient.
In 1988 the FDA approved the use of Gadolinium for use as a contrast agent in MRI's. Contrast agents help in enhancing the clarity of MRI images. Gadolinium bonds with damaged or diseased tissues giving doctors a much clearer picture of organs that they would without.
On June 8, 2006 the FDA issued a warning that Gadolinium may be linked to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD). NSF & NFD patients may have one or more of the follow conditions:
Avandia is the most commonly prescribed diabetes drug in the United States. Avandia (rosiglitazone) is used to treat type 2, non-insulin dependent diabetes by increasing the bodies sensitivity to insulin. Avandia is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and has been on the market since 1999. If you have type 2, diabetes there is a strong likelihood you may have taken Avandia at some time.
Ruth Lomeo, a 44-year-old disabled person, will receive $1.6 million from the California nursing home responsible for her care. In July, 2005 Lomeo was admitted to Edgemoor Geriatric Hospital for treatment of Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease. The nursing home staff was responsible for properly administering Fentanyl skin patches to help Lomeo cope with chronic pain. Physician orders directed the nursing home staff to put the pain patches on alternating arms every 48 hours.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (“SJS”) is a systemic disorder that affects the skin and mucous membranes, usually caused by a severe drug reaction. SJS often begins with flu-like symptoms (fever, sore throat, cough, burning eyes), then progresses to red or purple rashes and blisters (photos), especially around the mouth, nose, eyes. These symptoms eventually lead to skin sloughing (the shedding of the top layer of skin) because of cell death. Some patients with extreme cases of SJS appear as though they were severely burned due to the extensive skin loss.
We've all gone through the unpleasant task of preparing for a colonoscopy. Drinking an unpleasant liquid or popping pills for the purpose of giving the doctor a better view of our colon's contents is.... anything but pleasant. Now, news has surfaced that, depending on the product you used to prepare for the procedure, the experience may not have been merely unpleasant-- but downright dangerous.
On December 11, 2008, the FDA ordered the makers of Visicol and OsmoPrep to put a black box warning on their products alerting consumers to the fact that the drugs can cause kidney damage or death. The warning came after the FDA confirmed more than 20 reports of a severe kidney injury called acute phosphate nephropathy after people consumed the products. Acute phosphate nephropathy may progress resulting in: kidney failure, long-term dialysis, the need for a kidney transplant or death.
Recently, we were contacted by the family of a lady who within several months of taking Reglan Tablets, began to develop severe muscle spasms in her face. We soon found out that the staff physician had prescribed Reglan several months before the spasms started.
Reglan (generic name – metoclopramide) speeds up the movement of the stomach muscles, which increases the rate at which the stomach empties into the intestines. This prescription drug is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders including heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), diabetic gastroparesis (stomach does not contract), and to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy and surgery.
For more than 30 years Strellis & Field has championed the legal rights of the injured. If you suffered believe a drug is responsible for the death or injury to a loved one, we welcome you to contact us for a free legal consultation to learn your rights. (888) 424-5757
.png)
The Estate of a deceased nursing home patient has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility where she died and other parties who allegedly contributed to her death. The crux of the lawsuit alleges that the staff and physicians at the nursing home failed to note the woman's allergy to medications containing Sulfonamide, a common ingredient in antibiotic medications such as Bactrim..png)
