A recent medical study has revealed disturbing results—premature babies are being exposed to a potentially toxic chemical in neonatal units across the county. The chemical—Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)—is used in plastics, and is contained in high levels in medical devices such as intravenous tubes, blood bags, feeding and respiratory tubes and fluid bags. The chemical helps to make these devices softer and more flexible. However, the chemical seeps into body tissues and fluids upon contact. Ironically, DEHP is used in children’s toys; however, toy manufacturers must follow stringent government regulations, something that is evidently lacking in the use of the chemicals in medical devices.

According to warnings issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), exposure to DEHP can lead to a disruption in the development of the brains, lungs, and eyes of newborns. The chemical can also cause injury to the liver, increased inflammation, and affect normal hormone functions. Particularly at risk are newborn boys because DEHP has been found to have a negative effect on the development of testicles and sperm production.

The study was performed by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The research team found that premature babies are being exposed to 4,000 to 160,000 times higher levels of the chemicals than is safely recommended to avoid toxic side-effects which have been associated with the chemical.

A four pound premature infant, who is completely surrounded and exposed to plastic medical devices, may be exposed to more than 4,000 times DEHP toxic levels which are known to cause damage to male productive organs, and as high as 160,000 times DEHP toxic levels which are known to cause liver damage.

Many premature babies have lungs which are not developed enough to breathe on their own and it is necessary to have them hooked to a ventilator. However, the breathing tubes used to connect them to the ventilator contain high levels of DEHP. Researchers say this is one reason why premature babies who are not hooked to ventilators have much better lung development than babies who are.

Both France and the European Commission have announced that DEHS will be banned from medical devices by the end of this year.

If your child has been injured or developed an illness caused by a medical device, please contact a knowledgeable and compassionate Westport personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options. Call Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law, at 203-226-6168 today to schedule your free consultation.

For most couples, there is nothing more exciting and wonderful than the birth of a child. After nine months of waiting, planning and anticipating, labor begins and a baby arrives.

The majority of the approximately 4 million births that occur in this county each year go fairly smoothly, with little or no complications. However, according to the results of a recent study, 13 percent of those births involve a major or serious complication. The study also found that rates of birth complications vary significantly in hospitals throughout the country.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester, in Rochester NY, and published in the journal Health Affairs. The team analyzed 750,000 deliveries which were included in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization’s Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2010.

When comparing rates of serious delivery complications between better- and lowest-performing hospitals, the study found the highest rate of complications occurred at the lower-performing facilities. This was quite evident, for example, in complications which occurred in cesarean section births. Some of these complications included clots, infections and lacerations, and were seen in 21 percent of the cesarean births performed at lower-performing hospitals. However, at better performing facilities, these complications only occurred at a rate of 4.4 percent.

This significant difference was also found in complications occurring in vaginal deliveries. Women who delivered at lower-performing hospitals had double the risk of suffering complications than women who delivered at better-performing hospitals. The rate difference was 22.6 percent, compared to 10 percent.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) are working on developing a platform which would measure and report benchmarking information on maternal outcomes. However, for patients who have suffered major complications in childbirth, that platform will be too late.

If you or your child has suffered from illness or injuries caused by childbirth complications, please contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the physician and medical facility where the birth took place.

A study conducted by researchers from multiple hospitals and led by Boston Children’s Hospital revealed that injuries caused by medical errors could be reduced as much as 30 percent if there were better communications between clinicians during patient hand-offs.

Medical errors are one of the leading causes of death in this country. Almost 80 percent of those errors – which are caused by issues such as diagnostic delays, medication overdoses, and preventable surgical complications – are found to have originated in miscommunications between medical personnel, especially during the times of patient hand-offs.

Details and results of the study were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Boston Children’s Hospital was the lead site in the study. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, also located in Boston, was in charge of coordinating all the data. The other hospitals involved included:

• Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, in conjunction with University of California San Francisco;
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in conjunction with University of Cincinnati;
• Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Portland, OR in conjunction with Oregon Health Sciences University;
• The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, in conjunction with University of Toronto;
• Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA in conjunction with Stanford University;
• Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, in conjunction with University of Utah;
• St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, in conjunction with Washington University St. Louis;
• St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, in conjunction with Drexel University; and
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

The study focused on what benefits using the I-PASS system, which utilizes bundled communication and training tools for hand-off of patient care between providers, would have in reducing medical errors. The acronym stands for Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situational awareness and contingency planning, and Synthesis by receiver. The I-PASS system utilizes:

• Standardized communication and hand-off training for all medical facilities;
• Sharing patient information using computerized programs which utilized the I-PASS structure; and
• Attending physicians overseeing and observing hand-offs of their patients.

The study lasted for 18 months. In the first six months, medical staff was monitored and assessed. For the second six months, medical staff was trained on the I-PASS system and required to use the system. The last six months also involved monitoring and assessing staff.

By using the I-PASS system, the overall rate of medical errors declined from 23 percent. For every 100 admissions, the number of medical errors went from 24.5 to 18.8. Injuries caused by medical errors fell by 30 percent. For every 100 admission, the number of patients injured went from 4.7 to 3.3.

If you have been injured as a result of a medical error, contact an experienced Westport, CT medical malpractice attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for your pain and loss. Call 203-226-6168 for a free consultation with Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law.