Millions of toys that contained dangerous levels of lead paint and other toxins as well as dangerous children products have been recalled since the Consumer Safety Improvement Act was signed into law 5 years ago. This bipartisan legislation made a real difference in protecting young Americans from personal injury and…
Complications during or after surgery are happening too often at New York City, St Luke’s Hospital. The Hospital scored a low overall surgery rating on the new Consumer Reports surgery safety rating. The safest hospitals in the city to have surgery are Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Medical Center and New…
Last April the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West Texas was of the magnitude of a small earthquake. It killed 15, destroyed houses, businesses and municipal buildings, and left a 93-foot crater. To avoid such a tragedy in the future, President Obama last week signed an executive order directing…
To prevent truck accidents and protect public safety, truck drivers are required by law to conduct pre and post trip inspections and to file a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) after each inspection whether or not an issue requiring repairs is identified. The US Department of Transportation wants to change…
A bridal party on a speedboat turned into a horrible tragedy when then intoxicated skipper of a of a 19-foot Stingray bowrider collided with a construction barge on the Hudson River near the Tappan Zee Bridge , north of New York City. The best man and the bride died in…
Lead poisoning is the primary environmental health threat to young children because they are more likely to put lead contaminated toys in their mouth than older children or adults. Lead poisoning does not cause immediate symptoms but it can permanently damage children’s brains and cause serious developmental problems. The recent…
An elderly woman with an history of pancreatitis was admitted for an emergency laparotomy after she showed symptoms of acute abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. The diagnosis was small bowel obstruction. Her heart stopped during anesthesia and she had to be resuscitated and sent to the ICU. She died there…
Doctors should be vigilant when they decide to send home some pediatric cancer patients who still need to use a central venous catheter for their treatment. Because the central line is a tube that is placed directly into a major blood vessel, it can easily become a gateway for bacteria…
Nail gun injuries send more construction workers to the hospital than any other tool-related injury. Most injuries are punctured hands or fingers but in some cases the injuries are far more serious and can even lead to death. To prevent these type of injuries OSHA just created a new Nail…
Failure to diagnose cancer most commonly breast cancer, colon cancer, melanoma, lung cancer and malignant tumors in the female genital tract are the most common misdiagnoses in the primary care setting. The second most common type of misdiagnosis is failure to diagnose myocardial infarction. Failure to diagnose meningitis in children…