Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.
Published on:

Use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving is dangerous and can cause fatal car accidents. Most drivers know this but they still use their cell phones or other mobile devices to text, look at travel directions, check their emails, consult their calendar appointments, surf the web or play video games.

According to the latest National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) “Driver Electronic Device Use in 2011“, texting or manipulating an hand held device while driving significantly increased from 2010 to 2011.

The trend is particularly alarming among young drivers and women.

Published on:

Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the US. Although it is largely preventable through colonoscopy, screening remains underutilized.

A recent study by Hanna M. Zafar, MD, MHS at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that despite reimbursement limitations, computed tomography colonography (CTC) or virtual colonoscopy may expand screening to more patients. The study “Predictors of CT Colonography Utilization Among Asymptomatic Medicare Beneficiaries” can be found online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Published on:

For patients with end-stage liver disease, transplantation is the only treatment option to extend life, however because of the short supply of donated liver, candidate selection for liver transplantation presents challenging ethical issues that require balancing the principles of justice and utility.

A recent anonymous study among U.S. transplant providers shows that chances to get a transplant are limited for candidates with history of alcohol and marijuana abuse, HIV status, obesity, psychiatric diagnoses, advanced age or for those who are incarcerated.

National survey of provider opinions on controversial characteristics of liver transplant candidates“, by Katharine Secunda, Elisa J. Gordon, Min W. Sohn, Laura A. Shinkunas, Lauris C. Kaldjian, Michael D. VoigtJosh Levitsky is published in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

Published on:

A new study published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, shows that Amioradone, marketed since 1985 and used for arrhythmia or irregular heartbeats may increase cancer especially for patient using large doses.

Published on:

In “Beyond Mammography: New Frontiers in Breast Cancer Screening”, American Journal of Medicine, Jennifer S. Drukteinis, MD (Moffitt Cancer Center), Blaise P. Mooney, MD, Chris I. Flowers, MBBS, Robert A. Gatenby, MD, look at a personalized approach to breast cancer screening using new technologies such as low-dose mammography, contrast-enhanced mammography, tomosynthesis, automated whole breast ultrasound, molecular imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging. The study says this approach may lead to a better detection of breast cancer both in the general population and in high-risk groups, such as women with dense breasts.

Published on:

Three recent studies on Traumatic Brain Injury by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai demonstrate that significant opportunity exists to improve intervention and outcomes of TBI.

– An Exploration of Clinical Dementia Phenotypes Among Individuals With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury (Dams-O’Connor K, Spielman L, Hammond FM, Sayed N, Culver C, Diaz-Arrastia R.)

– Mortality of Elderly Individuals with TBI in the First 5 Years Following Injury (Hirshson CI, Gordon WA, Singh A, Ambrose A, Spielman L, Dams-O’Connor K, Cantor J, Dijkers M.)

Published on:

Failure to Diagnose Compartment Syndrome may be medical malpractice.Compartment Syndrome occurs when the pressure within a closed anatomic space (a compartment) becomes so elevated that capillary perfusion is compromised. Any closed anatomic space including the abdominal cavity is at risk of developing a compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency. Surgical decompression by fasciotomy must be performed within eight hours of onset or permanent neuromuscluar damage may result. Failure to properly treat will cause necrosis of the nerves and the muscles in the affected compartment since the increased intracompartmental pressure leads to ischemia and thus loss of blood supply to the nerves and muscles within the compartment. Further complications include Rhabdomyolysis which may lead to renal failure,loss of limb and sometimes death.

The following video from Dr Nabil Ebraheim, Professor and Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at The University of Toledo, explains with great detail:

– What is Compartment Syndrome?

Published on:

Investigation of a plane accident that killed a pilot, a passenger and left two other passengers seriously injured showed a very high level of THC in a Canadian pilot who was flying a Cessna 208B Caravan operated by Air Tindi Ltd. near Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories.

The toxicology report indicates that the significant amount of THC found in the pilot’s system impaired his performance and adversely effected his decision making.

Even though the pilot was well qualified to fly using instruments, he chose to fly at a low altitude in foggy conditions. The low visibility prevented the pilot from seeing and avoiding terrain.

Published on:

In New York, as a result of traumatic brain injuries 385 people per day visit emergency rooms or are hospitalized as inpatients. 140,000 New Yorkers are injured every year, that’s 3 times the capacity of Yankees Stadium!

The main cause of traumatic brain injuries are falls and motor vehicle accidents, mostly car accidents but motorcycle accidents as well as bus and truck accidents are also a common cause of traumatic brain injuries. Assault is the third cause of TBI in New York. Other leading causes of brain injuries include bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents or people struck by or against type of accidents.

Here are some findings based on the most recent statistics from the New York State Department of Health Department

– New Yorkers above 65 year old are the most at risk to fall and be hospitalized for a traumatic brain injury.

traumatic%20brain%20injury.jpg
Continue reading →

Published on:

In “The Receding Tide of Medical Malpractice Litigation” Professor David A. Hyman University of Illinois, School of Law and School of Medicine, Professor Bernard Black Northwestern University, Law School and Kellogg School of Management, and Myungho Paik Northwestern University, School of Law look over 20 years of national trends in Medical Malpractice Llitigation in cap and non cap states.

The study shows a substantial decline of Medical Malpractice Litigation nationally both in cap and non cap states. The aggregate payout by physicians represents now 0.1% of health care spending. The dollars directly at stake in med mal reform are small and the introduction of a national cap would only bring negligible savings.

Trends%20in%20Claim%20Rates%20for%20No-Cap%2C%20New-Cap%2C%20and%20Old-Cap%20States.png
Source: “Receding Tide of Medical Malpractice Litigation”, Northwestern University Law School Law and Economics Research Paper No. 12-18, University of Illinois Program in Law, Behavior and Social Science Research Paper No. LE12-13