Product Liability Lawyer Blog

October 16, 2016

A Look at Robotic Knee Replacement Surgery

A recent news article from Fox News looks at a new procedure that allows doctors to perform a total hip replacement with the assistance of a robot. While we have seen many instances where hospitals across the country are using robots to perform partial knee replacement surgeries, there are only 10 surgeons in the country who are presently certified to use this new technology.

It is a robot in the sense that one might think in that it is self-controlled. Instead, the system uses an advanced scanner that creates a 3D model of the patient’s knee joint and displays that model on a monitor used during surgery. The surgeon then uses a robotic surgical instrument to make the cut, and controls the robot using a series of hand control levers. The surgeon is then able to look at the monitor with the 3D model and see where he or she is cutting. Continue reading

October 14, 2016

U.S. Military Testing Whether Testosterone Can Boost Combat Readiness

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent article from Military Times, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) is testing whether giving soldiers testosterone hormone can help them in terms of strength and mental acuity during extended deployments in a combat theater. While soldiers have look joked that the military was secretly putting testosterone in their food, this is an actual publicly announced study.

One of the problems faced by soldiers on long deployments and field operations, among many, is that they are not able to eat normal meals on a regular basis. They are regularly forced to skip meals and survive on meals ready to eat (MREs). This results in them eating an average of 60 percent less calories than they actually require on a daily basis. Continue reading

October 12, 2016

Clinical Trials Not Showing Benefits of Testosterone

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

For the past decade, it has been impossible to read Sports Illustrated or ESPN without being told about the benefits of testosterone. The drug companies have claimed that taking testosterone replacement therapy can help increase cardiovascular function, increase one’s libido, boost energy, cure minor depression, curb weight gain and basically make aging men feel like they did in their 20s.

As discussed in a recent news article from UPI, the first actual clinical trials are not demonstrating these benefits claimed by drug companies. This is not surprising, since the claims were not supported by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor has testosterone replacement hormone been approved to treat people for what drug companies are calling “low t.” However, the reason they are able to prescribe testosterone, which comes in pills, deodorant, gels, skin creams, sublingual patches, and a variety of other delivery methods, is because they are able to take advantage of a loophole in FDA regulations that allows for what is known as off-label use. Continue reading

October 9, 2016

Testosterone Therapy May Not Be for Everybody

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent news feature from the Post-Bulletin involves a question and answer session between a prospective testosterone replacement patient and a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. This patient states that he is nearly 60 years old and has noticed that he no longer has the same energy to do things as when he was younger. He goes on to say that when doing things like yard work or bike riding, he gets tired much faster than he did when he was younger.

While we used to think of this as one of the normal things that happens as humans age, as this prospective patient mentioned, he has seen tons of ads that tell him that if he takes testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) hormone, he will no longer be bothered by these “symptoms,” as they are now called by the drug companies. He also stated he has a lower sex drive than he did when he was younger and wants to know if testosterone replacement hormone can help with this as well. Continue reading

October 6, 2016

Actos and a Link to Pancreatic Cancer

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Despite many studies showing that the diabetes drug Actos is linked to an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, those in the industry are still trying to prove that is not true. The results of a recent large-scale study are now suggesting there is not a significant risk of bladder cancer for patients who take Actos.

First, it should be noted that there does appear to be some increase in the number of patients who have taken Actos as compared to diabetics who have not taken Actos. While researchers like to discuss whether things are significant or statistically significant, to any single patient who develops bladder cancer as a result of taking Actos, we can be fairly certain that it is very significant to that patient. Continue reading

October 2, 2016

U.S. is Costly Place to Have Joint Replacement Surgery

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In this heated presidential election season, we are hearing about a lot of healthcare issues in terms of insurance and whether there should be a universal healthcare system or private insurance. One of the issues that is brought up from time to time has to do with the fact that Americans seem to pay more for drugs and medical procedures than people in other countries.

According to a recent news feature from Family Practice News, a trade publication for primary care physicians, having a total knee or total hip replacement surgery in the United States costs more on average than it does in a group of six other countries in the industrial world. The price was higher in the U.S. by a long shot. For example, the average price of a total hip replacement in the U.S. was $29,000 as compared to the same procedure in Switzerland at just over $20,000, and this was the next most expensive country in the group of six selected as part of the study. Continue reading

September 28, 2016

A Knee Replacement Surgeon Discusses his Own Medical Procedure

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Knee replacement surgery has become the most common elective surgery performed in the U.S. on an annual basis. There are an estimated 600,000 procedures performed each year. While an orthopedic surgeon may perform multiple operations in a single day, when he or she finds out they need to have a total knee replacement procedure performed on them personally, it is a very new experience.

A recent news feature from Medscape involves a very experienced knee replacement surgeon discussing his own total knee replacement surgery and recovery. This surgeon is 59-years-old and has been performing knee replacement operations for quite some time. He estimates that he performed more than 3,500 total knee replacements over the course of his career. It would seem that the procedure is entirely routine, but that is only the case when he is operating on other people. Continue reading

September 25, 2016

Exploding Cell Phones Leads to Recall Confusion

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from CNN Money, there is significant confusion when it comes to the recent recall of Galaxy Note 7 smart phones manufactured by Samsung after some of the models exploded. The reason for the confusion in part is because there are two different suppliers of batteries, and the company has chosen not to call this a recall, but rather a return and replacement program. While the company may wish to use this more innocuous sounding description, federal regulators have chosen to stick with the more familiar name, calling it a defective product recall.

However, before we look at the more confusing aspects of this recall, lets look at what we do know. We know that these smart phones that retail for over $900 are bursting into flames and basically exploding while people are holding them. The company says that the problem only occurs while the phones are charging, but since many people charge their phones while using them to talk, text, and use other apps, this poses a significant danger. Continue reading

September 22, 2016

Massive GM Recalls Following Death

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from USA Today, General Motors has just announced they will recall 4.3 million vehicles as result of a problem with the airbag control system. There has been one death as well as several injuries linked to this particular airbag issue.

The problem is related to the software that controls airbag deployment in the front of the vehicle. The software issue caused the system to go into test mode when the vehicle was in motion as opposed to when it was first turned on and all of the system runs a test and diagnostic mode. While it is not exactly clear how this happens based upon reports, the computer may have be able to disengage the seat belt retention mechanism when the airbag was in test mode. Continue reading

September 19, 2016

Custom Artificial Knee Saves Patients from Losing Leg

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the United States alone, more than 600,000 people undergo a single or bilateral total knee replacement operation each year. This incredible figure makes total knee replacement the most common surgical procedure performed each year. Next in line is the total hip replacement operation, of which there are between 300,000 and 400,000 performed annually in the U.S. Between the two procedures, it is clear to see that joint replacement (arthroplasty) is big business.

While the vast majority of operations go well, there is always a risk of infection following a major surgery. Infection can destroy the artificial knee and cause a patient to need an above the knee amputation. It is important to understand that no matter how much effort a hospital puts into sterilizing everything and making sure there are no germs present in the operating room, infections, including staff infections, are going to happen, and it is not necessarily anyone’s fault. Continue reading