Tonsillectomies are one of most common children’s surgeries. The procedure is often combined with the removal of the adenoids. A common cause for the surgery is sleep apnea or chronic infections of the tonsils.

Every year there are approximately 530,000 tonsillectomies performed in the U.S. on children who are under the age of 15-years-old. Compared to the number of procedures performed three decades ago, when the average annual number of procedures hit 1.5 million, this number has dropped substantially.

Today, other methods are now employed, and tonsil removal is done as a last resort. In fact, 80 percent of tonsillectomies are for treatment of sleep apnea in children.

However, a new study reveals that the standard medical aftercare these children receive may be dangerous, and under certain cases, fatal. Ninety-one children, between one and 10-years-old, participated in the study.

The study was conducted by researchers from McMaster University who worked with a group of children who suffered from sleep apnea and were having tonsillectomies performed as a way to cure the condition. Sleep apnea occurs when there is an obstruction blocking a person’s airway. This can happen for a number of reasons, including swollen tonsils and/or adenoids.

The research team divided the children into two groups. The first group was given the standard painkiller combination that most doctors prescribed to children upon discharge after this surgery—oral morphine and acetaminophen medication taken every four hours. The second group was given oral ibuprofen every six hours and acetaminophen every four hours. Doses for medication in both groups were based on each child’s weight.

In measuring children’s pain, the team discovered that pain control was the same in both groups. The ibuprofen was just as effective as the morphine in controlling children’s pain. Yet, the oxygen levels in each group were significantly different.

On the first night after the surgery, 68 percent of the children in the second group had improvement in their oxygen levels compared to only 14 percent in the first group. However, what was most concerning to the study team was the number of “oxygen desaturation events” which occurred. These events happen when there is a drop in the oxygen concentration of the blood. The first group had over a dozen more of these events every hour than the second group did. This alarmed the research team so much that they immediately halted the study.

In a press release, one of the study’s authors, Dr. Gideon Koren, said, “The evidence here clearly suggests children with obstructive sleep apnea should not be given morphine for postoperative pain.”

If you or someone in your family has become injured or ill from incorrect or improperly prescribed medication, please contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the physician and/or medical facility.

A recent study has found that when children are admitted to the hospital, the course of medical treatment they receive typically involves the administration of multiple medications. Too often these medications interact with each other and cause serious side-effects and injuries in the young patients. But what was even more alarming about the study’s results is the way medical personnel often ignore the alarm systems put in place which are supposed to alert them to possible drug interactions.

The study was conducted by doctors from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, utilizing data from 12 months of medical records provided by 43 children’s hospitals from around the country. The research team discovered that of the approximately half million children who were hospitalized during that year, almost half were given medication combinations which have the potential for harmful side-effects when interacted with each other.

Potential dangerous side effects from the combinations of medications include breathing problems, sedation, bleeding issues, and a reduction in iron absorption. Another serious side effect is the unknown reduction of effectiveness that one drug may have on another, as it may potentially eradicate the healing powers the medication has which a child needs to get better.

Of all the children’s medical data that was used for the study, 49 percent were given dangerous combinations of drugs. The two most common categories prescribed were opioid painkillers and antibiotics.

Hospitals do have safeguards in check to monitor for potential drug interactions in patients. These electronic alerts ring an alarm when a patient is receiving a medication which can be harmful when interacted with another medication the patient may be receiving. However, a real concern to the researchers of this study was how medical personnel do not pay attention to these alarms. The reason for this is there are so many drugs that do interact, these alarms are constantly going off, and doctors are left suffering from what the study calls “alert fatigue.”

If your child has suffered a serious illness or injury because he or she was given an incorrect or dangerous combination of medications, contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to discuss your case and legal options.

Spinal cord injuries are of the most severe and catastrophic injuries that a person can sustain, and the severity of consequences depends on the location of the injury. If you or someone you know has sustained an injury to the spinal cord, it is important to first seek medical attention. Additionally, if an injured person cannot move his or her head or extremities immediately following an accident, do not attempt to move him or her; call an ambulance immediately. A doctor can determine the extent of the injury.

According to a spinal cord injury foundation, the initial level of an injury may not remain consistent. In fact, an injury may intensify or become more severe as time passes. Therefore, if a doctor fails to recognize this potential, he could be held liable for negligence. A diagnosis of a spinal cord injury is extremely important, as time is of the essence.

Once a patient begins treatment, he or she is much more likely to fully recover. A typical physical examination to determine whether or not a spinal cord injury has been sustained will include muscular strengths tests and testing to see if a patient still has sensation in his or her arms and legs. Most patients who believe they have sustained a spinal cord injury should be immobilized by a cervical collar or on a backboard for the vast majority of this testing.

Medicine.net advises that after a patient is diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, he or she will likely be put on a regimen of steroids. This is usually intended to help decrease the amount of damage to the spinal cord, as steroids can help to reduce the swelling and inflammation of tissue and muscle around the site of injury. Steroids are usually only beneficial if they are started within eight hours of injury. If a doctor fails to administer steroids in a timely fashion, he or she could be liable for malpractice as well.

Spinal cord injuries are very serious, and if not treated correctly can lead to vast complications or paralysis. If you or someone you know has sustained a spinal cord injury and suspect that medical professionals did not do all they could to mitigate severe effects, you could be eligible for compensation. Contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney today.