An Iowa obstetrician, Dr. Tobin Jacks, has been ordered to quit practicing medicine and fined $10,000 by the Iowa Board of Medicine after mishandling a birth which caused permanent brain damage.

Tammy and Matt Heston sued Jacks for mishandling the birth of their son, Connor, in 2005.  The board agreed that Jacks failed to properly assess Tammy and as a result did not recognize the need for a C-section delivery.  Instead, Jacks improperly used forceps and vacuum extraction to deliver Connor Heston leaving him with permanent brain damage.  Connor is now 5 years old and unable to sit up, walk, talk, or swallow.

53-year old Jacks has had several run-ins with the Iowa Board of Medicine since 1987, mostly concerning drug use, and once admitting to using his children’s urine to pass drug tests.

A New York City judge, Douglas McKeon, with years of experience specializing in medical malpractice lawsuits is trying to use an approach of “humanness” to reform medical malpractice cases.  McKeon advocates what he calls, “judge-directed negotiations”, a style of part listing and part directing in settling malpractice suits.  He describes his technique as ” the willingness to bring humanness to the process”.

McKeon tries to listen to hurting family members’ anger, as well as directs lawyers about their comments and how they will affect the jury.  He states, “I don’t discuss settlement offers with families right away…I just say, ‘Tell me a little bit about your loved one’”.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration approved 3 million dollars worth of funds to test out McKeon’s method on a broader scale.

If you or someone you love has been a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.

51-year old Timothy Harvey of Atkinson, Maine died on June 5th after a medication error at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.

Harvey came to Mayo Regional Hospital after suffering from anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.  However, it was recently determined by the state medical examiner’s office and hospital officials that Harvey did not die from his anaphylaxis, but from an overdose of the drug used to treat anaphylaxis- epinephrine.

Epinephrine is a synthetic hormone that is typically the first form of treatment used in cases of anaphylaxis.  Officials stated that though anaphylaxis is deadly, it is rarely seen in emergency rooms.

People who suffer from anaphylaxis often carry pre-measured doses of epinephrine in cases of emergency, such as EpiPen, Anapen, and Twinject.  However, emergency rooms would not likely have pre-measured doses of epinephrine on hand.  Rather, epinephrine is most often stored in multidose vials and in varying concentrations, so mistaking or misprescribing a dosage could be quite simple.

The Department of Health and Human Services is investigating exactly what went wrong in Mr. Harvey’s treatment.  Our thoughts and prayer’s go out to Harvey’s family and friends.

In a recent study, doctors found that using a cooling blanket on babies at risk for brain injuries can reduce the chance of lasting damage.

Brain damage in babies most often occurs due to an insufficient supply of oxygen at the time of birth, and four out of every thousand babies born in the United States suffers brain damage.  This therapy involves placing a simple blanket with tubes of cold water running through it over a baby’s head, bringing the child’s body temperature down to 91 degrees over a 72 hour period.  In doing so, the baby’s body system slows, requiring less energy and reducing swelling in the brain.

The study’s results show that using the blanket on babies who experienced oxygen deprivation decreases the chance of seizures, cerebral palsy, and death.  Furthermore, babies’ vision, mental scores, and motor skills improved after using the blanket.

This is the first therapy to prevent brain damage in babies.  Currently, the treatment is only being used in academic medical facilities.

If you or someone you love has suffered brain damage at birth, contact the Philadelphia brain and spinal damage lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights.