Surprising Verdicts In Med-Legal Cases.
A recent article by Dr. Segal in Medscape discusses two defensible cases that resulted in surprising horrific outcomes for the two doctors who were sued. There is a take home message and lesson to be learned embedded in these two cases. How Would You Have Handled Patients Like These? Being sued for malpractice is a […]
Emergency Management of Marijuana Psychosis.
Marijuana is a commonly used drug. In some states it is legal. The following article appeared in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, and it describes the correct approach and standard of practice in the treatment of marijuana overdose resulting in psychosis in the emergency department. The citation is noted at the bottom of the […]
Narcan Nasal Spray approved by FDA.
An intranasal form of naloxone hydrochloride (Narcan, Adapt Pharma, Inc), a drug that stops or reverses opioid overdose, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a fast-track approval process. Naloxone hydrochloride has long been given by intramuscular injection to stop or reverse the effects of opioid overdose, in particular respiratory […]
Fentanyl Overdose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning regarding increases in fentanyl drug confiscations and a potential increased risk for fentanyl-related overdose fatalities. According to the CDC, reports from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, a program of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) Office of Diversion Control, indicate there has been […]
Dangerous Prescribing Errors.
Dangerous prescribing errors afflicts all areas of medicine, and is more common that most appreciate. There are several types of prescribing errors. The following report appeared recently in Medscape and I attached it here verbatim.. Poor penmanship was once the bane of prescribing, and the cause of many prescribing errors. Even as electronic prescribing (eRx) […]
Fentanyl Fatalities Increasing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning regarding increases in fentany drug confiscations and a potential increased risk for fentanyl-related overdose fatalities. According to the CDC, reports from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, a program of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) Office of Diversion Control, indicate there has been […]
Opioid Policy Changed by FDA.
FDA Unveils Sweeping Changes to Opioid Policies In response to the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic, top officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced plans to reassess the agency’s approach to opioid medications. “We are determined to help defeat this epidemic through a science-based and continuously evolving approach,” Robert Califf, MD, the […]
SINGLE-PAYER System Will Not Work in the U.S..
Single-Payer System: Why It Would Ruin US Healthcare Single-Payer Would Be Bad for Doctors A single-payer system—government-run healthcare for all—sounds like a noble ideal, but things quickly fall apart in the execution, according to its critics. Michel Accad, MD, a cardiologist in San Francisco, says that because a single-payer system makes healthcare virtually free, “demand […]
A New Hallucinogen: “Legal LSD”.
A novel psychoactive substance, or “legal high,” that has hallucinogenic effects and potentially severe adverse effects is being sold to partygoers as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Although the use of 25I-NBOMe, also known as “legal LSD,” is currently relatively rare, it is sold under various names and in a range of forms, making it difficult […]
Medication Errors and Mortality.
Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer, according to findings in the British Medical Journal, 253:i2139, 2016. As such, medical errors should be a top priority for research and resources, say authors Martin Makary, MD, MPH, professor of surgery, and research fellow Michael Daniel, […]