Legal Claims Mounting over Alleged Health Risk of Contraceptive

The Bayer’s Yaz contraceptive was marketed on television to help clear up mild acne, relieve pre menstrual irritability and prevent pregnancy. In May 2011, Joan Cummins in the USA filed a law suit against Bayer Healthcare, the drug company that sell Yaz, alleging that the birth control caused her 18 year old daughter’s death nearly [...]

Health Minister should force Doctors to “Admit Mistakes”

The Health Secretary in the UK is going to force Hospitals to tell patients when they have made mistakes with their care. English doctors will now have it written into their contracts that they must admit mistakes to increase transparency and reduce litigation. No such legal duty exists in Irish law to force medical professionals [...]

Irish Judges set to intervene to Cut Medical Negligence Costs

The Irish Government in an effort to reduce the spiralling cost of medical negligence claims against state hospitals may decide to copy a new Judge driven case management initiative in the US. The new scheme, known as judge-directed negotiation, is a way to radically reduce the costs of medical negligence claims. Getting Judges involved earlier, [...]

French Regulator Confirms Non-Toxicity of PIP Breast Implants

The French medical device regulator has released the findings of tests carried out on PIP silicone breast implants. Health concerns were raised in 2010 that there was evidence of genotoxicity (the potential for cancer) of the filler material inside these medical devices. PIP was one of the major breast implant manufacturers for the UK and [...]

Medical Alert Issued for Faulty CT Scanner Table

Radiology staff and in house x-ray engineers have been advised by Phillips Healthcare who are the manufacturers of a CT Scanner device that there is a potential for the scanner to collapse whilst the patient is on the table. The device alert has been issued by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the [...]

Sterile Hypodermic Needle Recalled by Manufacturer

A sterile hypodermic needle manufactured by BD Medical has been recalled due to a product defect. These needles are used for a variety of clinical procedures. The problem with the needles is that they may become blocked or partially blocked. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom issued a medical device [...]

Withdrawal of DePuy ASR Resurfacing Hip Implants

The ASR device has been withdrawn due to adverse results higher than expected revision rates. The revision rate at 5 years in the National Joint Registry is 12% for ASR resurfacing and 13% for stemmed ASR components. All patients with these components have been advised that the device has been withdrawn and they are under [...]

Metal on Metal Bearing Hip Replacement Devices Failing

A recent survey carried out by the British Orthopaedic Association has shown that large diameter MOM manufactured by producers other than DePuy are showing greater than anticipated failure rates. These range from a 21% revision rate at 4 years to a 49% rate at 6 years for the ASR XL device. Concern has been expressed [...]

How to Reduce Risk for Patients Undergoing Hip Replacement Surgery

Hospitals in the UK and Ireland are being alerted to ways of reducing risk for patients undergoing hip replacement surgery after sustaining  fractured hip joints. 60,000 total hip replacements and 60,000 repairs of hip fractures are carried out each year in the United Kingdom. A much smaller number are carried out in Ireland. The death [...]

Medical Device Alert Issued For Sutures

A medical device alert has been issued by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the UK for sutures manufactured by ETHICON. The problem with the affected lot numbers is that they may not have a complete seal and so the contents may not be sterile. There is a risk of infection if non-sterile [...]