News Tagged ‘serious injury

father and son hit the road to raise brain injury awareness

TBI 100x100When Joshua Brantner was 20 years old, he attended a party that changed his life forever. He arrived as a healthy, ordinary guy but left in an ambulance with a traumatic brain injury that severely impaired his mental and physical functions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Surgical sterilizing, disinfecting system may pose risk to patients

steris sterilizerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning hospital risk managers, surgical service managers and infection control professionals that a device used in surgical and endoscopy suites for sterilizing or disinfecting medical devices has been modified, has not been approved by the FDA, and may not properly disinfect or sterilize instruments, which may pose a serious risk to patients and health care staff.

Read the rest of this entry »

CPSC rules, safety guidelines for buyers and sellers of used products

thrift storeToys, children’s furniture, clothing, home appliances, power tools, sports equipment – these are just some of the many products that the U.S. Consumer Product Commission recalls every year to protect consumers from using potentially dangerous and life-threatening items. But while the CPSC’s alerts notify the public of recalls involving new and recently made products, millions of older, defective, once-recalled or banned products find their way into thrift stores every year.

In fact, the CPSC says that 7 out of every 10 thrift stores sell products that pose the risk of and . If hazards abound in second-hand stores, what is the CPSC doing to improve public ? And what can consumers do to protect themselves?

Read the rest of this entry »

Cardiac device recalled due to risk of serious injury, death

balloon catheterA device used to block off the aorta, monitor aortic pressure, and deliver solution to stop the heart during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures has been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the device’s balloon catheters may spontaneously rupture during surgery and may result in serious health consequences or to patients.

Read the rest of this entry »

Concussions in children require extra care and attention

concussion 100x100Concussions, injuries that fall on the mild side of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) scale, are receiving significantly more consideration these days than ever before, thanks to studies that probe and attempt to grasp the often elusive nature of TBI.

Read the rest of this entry »

Defective cords on medical devices may cause serious injury, death

electrical cordThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating certain types of medical devices made by Hospira Inc. and Abbott Nutrition after 122 reports of sparking, charring and fires from the power cords used with the devices. The announcement follows a recall announcement and FDA warning last August on some medical devices made by Hospira Inc. because of faulty electrical cords that could lead to serious or .

Read the rest of this entry »

Infusion pump catheters recalled due to risk of serious injury, death

intrathecal catheter 8709SC1 88x100A catheter that connects to infusion pumps used to store and deliver medicine into the body is being recalled because its design is incompatible with certain pumps and may cause serious or due to catheter disconnection or blockage at the connection site.

The Class I recall was announced this week by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) and covers INDURA 1P Intrathecal Catheter model 8709SC, Intrathecal Catheter, model 8731SC; Sutureless Pump Connector Revision Kit, model 8578; and Intrathecal Catheter Pump Segment Revision Kit, model 8596SC. A Class I recall is the most serious type of recall the FDA can give and involves situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the products will cause serious or .

Read the rest of this entry »

TBI kills UC San Diego pole vaulter

pole vaulterA 19-year-old pole vaulter for the University of Southern California San Diego died earlier this month after receiving a traumatic brain injury. According to the Los Angeles Times, sophomore Leon Roach from Huntington Beach, California, had been practicing his vaults on Thursday, September 3. Roach was completing a jump but missed the pads and hit the concrete instead, landing head first.

Read the rest of this entry »

Research helps identify injured children at low risk of TBI

TBI girlYour 18-month toddler chases after a ball and hits her head on the edge of a table, knocking her to the ground. A softball hits your 12-year old athlete in the head, leaving a noticeable welt. Both of these seem like minor, albeit painful injuries, but you’ve seen reports on television and online that some seemingly innocuous bumps and minor concussions can lead to a deadly traumatic brain injury. What should you do?

Read the rest of this entry »

Surgical drills, blades, shavers self-activate spurring Class 1 recall

PowerProElectricOscil1 100x100The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Class 1 recall on a type of surgical drills, blades and bone and cutting devices because the tools can unintentionally self-activate and move in unintended directions. A Class 1 recall is the most serious type of recall and involves situations in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of the products will cause serious or .

Read the rest of this entry »