Johnson & Johnson Recall

Due to a failure to operate properly at extremely high glucose readings, Johnson & Johnson is recalling and replacing approximately two million meters used to measure blood glucose levels in diabetics.

Here in the United States, about 90,000 OneTouch Verio IQ meters were sold. The units have failed to provide a warning of dangerously high blood sugar as well as high glucose readings of 1024 mg/dl and above and will shut off, which can delay proper treatment.

The company is also recalling about 4,000 of the OneTouch Verio Pro meters found in the Middle East, Europe and the Asia/Pacific Region, as well as 670,000 of the meters in Europe.

No patient injuries have been reported in the U.S. due to the malfunction. The company stated that patients should continue using the Verio IQ model until replacements arrived.

Calcium

According to an article published in The Washington Post, a 2012 study found that calcium supplements may raise your risk of a heart attack.

However, calcium is an important role when it comes to your health: your body needs it to maintain nerve and heart function and to keep bones strong. Adults should be getting 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams a day.

For deciding whether or not to meet your daily requirement in whole or in part by taking supplements, there is a lot of conflicting evidence. Some studies suggest links between calcium intake and heart attacks, while others found that getting too little calcium can contribute to heart disease.

It can be confusing whether or not to take supplements or how you should care for your bones, but many physicians are bringing their focus back to what their patients are eating, as the studies showed that no heart risks were associated with calcium from food.

According to the article, there are multiple calcium-rich foods available, so you shouldn’t take a calcium supplement if you can get the calcium you need through diet.

Since caring for your bones can be complicated, you should have your bone density tested. The Preventive Task Force recommends getting tested if you’re a woman over age 65 and many physicians recommend that men should be tested after age 50.

However, these basic tips for bone health still count: eat a healthful diet rich in calcium, get plenty of exercise and avoid smoking.

 

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us. 

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005
www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

 

Superbugs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently warned that “nightmare bacteria” are increasingly resistant to even the strongest of antibiotics.  

According to an article published in The Washington Post, these superbugs are posing a growing threat to hospitals and nursing homes nationwide.  

Since the strongest antibiotics don’t work, patients are left with a possibility of having an untreatable infection, so health officials and doctors need to work together to stop these deadly spreads.

The bacteria, known as Carbapenen-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, is called a “triple threat:” it’s resistant to nearly all antibiotics, it kills up to half of patients who get bloodstream infections, and it can transfer their antibiotic resistance to other bacteria within the family, which can make other types of bacteria untreatable.

In 2001, the percentage of these bacteria resistant to antibiotics was 1.2 percent. In 2011, the percentage was 4.2 percent. During the first six months of 2012, almost 200 hospitals treated at least one patient infected with the superbug.

Most infections occur in patients who are receiving care for serious conditions or are in nursing homes, and who often have catheters or ventilators which allow the bacteria to get deep in a patient’s body.

Since the germs spread from person to person, it can be controlled with proper precautions and better practices. According to the CDC, standard infection control precautions include washing hands and prescribing antibiotics wisely, which can reduce the problem.  

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

 

 

Flu Activity Decreasing

Across the United States, influenza activity continues to decrease, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the week ending on Feb. 23, zero states reported high influenza-like illness activity. Outpatient visits attributed to flu-like illness has also decreased; the percentage is now down to 2.7.

The current total for flu-related deaths is 81 for this season compared to 34 deaths in the 2011-2012 season.