NEWS STORY Aug 30, 2010
Early Sunday, Laura Salpietro arrived at Polyclinic Hospital in Sicily, water broken and in labor, ready to deliver her new child. She waited with her husband, Matteo Molonia, as two doctors debated on how to proceed with her case. Gynaecologist Dr. Benedetto wanted to perform a caesarean section, but the maternity unit doctor, Dr. De Vivo, argued for her to give birth naturally.
Imagine the couple’s surprise when the two doctors began to exchange blows and fought right there in the delivery room. Matteo pleaded with them to stop, which they eventually did, and Dr. De Vivo left the room with a bloody hand.
More than an hour later, Laura gave birth to a baby boy, Antonio, by C-section. Unfortunately, due to severe complications and loss of blood, she had to receive a hysterectomy. Baby Antonio also suffered two heart attacks. Both the mother and child are now in critical condition.
The two doctors have been suspended, but neither charged with a crime as the police investigate the incident. The both hospital and doctors claim that Laura’s complications had nothing to do the brawl and delayed birth.
Read more at: the Guardian.
NEWS STORY Aug 10, 2010
This story is a follow-up to this story here.
Randeep Mann, an Arkansas doctor, was convicted by a federal jury for a bomb attack at the home of the head of the state’s medical board. The victim, Dr. Trent Pierce, lost an eye but survived the bombing back in February last year.
The jury convicted Dr. Mann of seven different crimes, including possessing unregistered firearms and ninety-eight grenades, as well as “using a weapon of mass destruction against a person and property, and using an explosive resulting in personal injury.”
Dr. Mann had disciplinary issues and was clearly unhappy with the board having effectively ended his practice in pain treatment. He faces life in prison during his sentencing. His wife was also convicted of obstruction of justice, as she helped to conceal evidence during the investigation.
Read more at: CNN
NEWS STORY Aug 04, 2010
Mayra Lissette Contreras, a 22-year-old Californian, died this past weekend after receiving silicone injections by two unlicensed women. Reportedly, she experienced respiratory distress when silicone escaped into her bloodstream and clotted in her lungs.
Guadalupe Viveros, thought to be a doctor in Mexico but unlicensed in the US, and her sister Alejandra Viveros were arrested but skipped bail on June 21. Police had been investigating them because of previous patients that had reported “ill effects” from their injections.
Read more at: CBS News.
NEWS STORY Jul 28, 2010
Ten days ago, Abelino Mazariego was attacked and beaten by three teenagers. He was rushed to Overlook Hospital, unconscious, where he eventually died last week from his injuries. After Abelino arrived at the hospital, to add insult to injury — so to speak — his wife discovered that $640 was stolen from his wallet.
The police were contacted, and eventually had a suspect who confessed to stealing the money. It ended up being a nurse at the hospital (who has since been fired), Stephan Randolph. He was charged this past Monday with third-degree theft.
As for the teenagers who attacked Abelino, they have been charged with murder.
Read more at: Alternative Press.
NEWS STORY Jul 09, 2010
A whistle-blower lawsuit was filed against Rush University Medical Center, a teaching hospital in Chicago. The suit accuses the orthopedic department and 6 of its surgeons for violating Medicare practices.
One of the violations detailed in the suit involves the surgeons not supervising their residents during surgery, but billing Medicare as if they were there. Often they would supervise through close-circuit television, and supposedly in at least one case the surgeon did not enter the operating room at all.
Some of the whistle-blower’s claims have been settled already by the medical center and the US government. You can read more at the link below.
Read more at: Chicago Tribune.
NEWS STORY Jul 06, 2010
California’s Board of Registered Nursing has discovered around 3,500 nurses that are still licensed in California but had received discipline in other states. Some have even had their licenses revoked, but they continued to maintain a clean record in California.
The issue was uncovered when the board ran its registry of nurses against a national database run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 37 states and Washington, D.C. voluntarily report disciplinary actions to this national database.
Now, the board has announced that 2,000 of these nurses will face sanctions. However, the nurses will be allowed to practice freely and their names will remain undisclosed while the cases are pending.
Read more at: LA Times.
NEWS STORY Jul 01, 2010
John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis just sent out letters to 1,812 patients, informing them that they may have been infected with HIV or hepatitis. This is because they could have been exposed to contaminated dental instruments.
For more than a year, the hospital failed to follow proper cleaning procedures. According to protocol, the dental instruments were supposed to only be cleaned by special cleaning machines. In an attempt to protect the delicate instruments, dental technicians instead hand-washed them with soap and water before having the machines clean them.
The hospital has set up a special clinic and hotline to deal with potentially infected patients.
Read more at: CNN.
