Miscellaneous

• Pediatric fractures of the foot and ankle.

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 10:43 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Many times young children present to my office with severe fracture of the legs or feet. This recent article from Clin Podiatr Med Surg, discusses Distal tibial physeal injuries which are very common in younger children. The article discusses the treatment and complications of distal tibial fractures, fractures of the talus and calcaneus, midfoot and tarsometatarsal injuries, metatarsal...

• Patient's Insurance Status Affects Choices Doctors Make

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 10:35 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Doctors treat patients who lack health insurance differently than patients who are insured, a major new study finds.The study, in the September/October issue of the Annuls of Family Medicine, show that uninsured patients are more likely to be prescribed generic medicines instead of brand bane, easier to take medications.....resulting in less compliance.Nearly 63% of Doctors discuss insurance...

• Memory of traumatic event leads to increased risk of PTSD

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 10:24 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  In a recent article in the Journal of Loss and Trauma, it was found that individuals who had a good memory of a traumatic event were most at risk to develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in the future.

• Tylenol use could trigger liver damage

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 4:15 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Very often after traffic accidents, patients are told to take tylenol or tylenol with codeine for their pain. Now, a recent study at the University of North Carolina,Chapel Hill, shows that people who took the maximun recoommended daily dose of acetaminophen (generic name for Tylenol) developed abnormalities in blood tests that can be a signal for liver damageThe message to consumers is to pay...

• Staff, family support can reduce post ICU stay PTSD risk

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 4:07 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Support from family and medical staff is a vry important factor in preventing post-traumatic stress disorder after a major intensive care intervention. In a recent study in Germany, it was shown that those survivors of a major surgery who had high preeived support from family and medical staff were much less likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) down the line.

• New Documentary about RSD

  Ed Smith | October 17, 2006 3:54 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  A new documentary is being produced to help bring awareness of RSD to the medical community. The film will show the experience of living with an RSD patient and the severe impact it has on the famiy's of RSD victims. RSD patients are interviewed along with their families, doctors, therapists and other caregivers.The documentary is being produced now and the hope is to assist patients, as well as...

• Amateur Soccer has high rate of head & mouth Fractures

  Ed Smith | October 16, 2006 10:24 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Amateur soccer is responsible for a surprisingly high number of fractures and other significant injuiries to the mouth, jaw and face according to a recent article in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Most of the injuries in the study were suffered by mean 18-24. Dental fractures are the most common injuries suffered by soccer players followed by fractures of the mandible.

• How to value a personal injury claim

  Ed Smith | October 16, 2006 11:11 AM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Clients often call an attorney early after an accident wondering what the potential value of their injury claims might be. Evaluating an injury claim is an art not a science and many factors go into such evaluation.I will list a few of such factors here.Liability, along with insurance information, is the first thing most atorney's look at. Liability simply means who is at fault in an accident....

• Causes of and Standards in Playground accidents

  Ed Smith | October 16, 2006 10:54 AM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Swings, slides and climbing frames, metal bars and merry go rounds contribute to over 70% of all playground accidents. Rope-plank type swings are frequently the cause of backward falling accidents. It is important to be aware of standards and specifications for playground equipment if you represent a child injured by playground equipment. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued...

• Chronic Pain - RSD Information Expo

  Ed Smith | October 16, 2006 2:22 AM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  On November 18, 2006, Noon-3:00 PM, a conference on Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) will be Held in the Stained Glass Lobby of St Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ.Reflex Sympathetic Distrophy is a rare nerve disease where nerves send constant pain signals to the brain even after the original injury has healed. Between 200,000 and 1.2 Million American suffer...