Not all births go the way they are supposed to. Sometimes a baby presents in the breech position, feet or bottom first. Sometimes the baby’s head is a little too large for the mother’s birth canal. These may be instances in which the professional handling the delivery decides that the process needs an operative assist — that is, either...
Read MoreJust exactly how many people die as a result of mistakes in the hospital? It’s a hard figure to put your finger on. It seems to change every year — and not for the better. Back in 1999, the non-profit, non-government Institute of Medicine estimated that nearly 100,000 people were dying every year because of preventable errors in hospitals....
Read MoreA lot of the possible effects of brain trauma are known. When injuries are obvious, such as the type of traumatic brain damage that can result from a car or work accident, medical malpractice or a serious sports injury, victims can suffer a loss of physical ability. Mental and behavioral issues are not uncommon, either, and typically are watched...
Read MoreWe don’t hear much about mesothelioma or those lives that are claimed by it. That’s not too surprising. It is a rare form of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, only about 3,000 new cases are recorded every year in the United States. How many of those cases might be being identified in Missouri and Kansas isn’t easy...
Read MoreIn the course of recovering from a major medical event in the hospital, a patient may receive care from a large team of medical professionals. There are the doctors, of course. But nurses and nursing assistants, therapists and pharmacists all have a hand in the outcome. An added factor in the delivery of care is that on a given...
Read MoreIf a mechanic leaves a rag in the works of your vehicle’s motor, chances are you’d find out about it before you got it out on the road where something dangerous could happen. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said if a surgeon leaves something behind in your body during an operation. Doctors might not like being compared to...
Read MoreHaving to go to the hospital is not something people look forward to. It typically is done with a doctor’s direction and with some forethought as to what the problem is and what treatment will be delivered. If the problem that you’re experiencing is an emergency, chances are you don’t even give a lot of thought about what hospital...
Read MoreAs much as we might want eliminate every risk of a deadly mistake being made in the delivery of medical care or the performance of a surgical operation, the fact is that medical professionals are only human. That does not mean that we can’t and shouldn’t do all we can to create systems aimed at reducing the chance of...
Read MoreAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 4 million children born in the United States in 2012. Most of those children were born without trouble. The CDC says that about one in every 33 of those babies was born with a birth defect. Some of those conditions couldn’t have been prevented. But in other...
Read MoreIn 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act became law. The world of health care has not been quite the same since. Some may argue that most of the resulting change has been for the better. Many others, including some patients, might argue that HIPAA is more trouble than it’s worth. Every time you see a doctor it...
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