From: CareMeridian, Las Vegas Nursing Home.

The brain is a complex and vital organ that shapes who we are. It allows us to understand questions and solve intricate problems, it produces our emotions while crafting our personality, and it helps us to live on both a biological and spiritual level. If it should experience damage than the essence of who we are could be lost forever. This is why traumatic brain injuries can cause grave damage to the life of its victim. 

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a traumatic brain injury (also known as TBI) is an affliction that 1.4 million Americans sustain each year, 50,000 of which don't survive. While TBI's have differing levels of severity (ranging from mild to severe), they are usually acquired from a simple injury to the head and/or neck. Falls are the leading cause accounting for 28% of TBI's, while motor vehicle accidents account for 20%. However, motor vehicle accidents have a higher frequency when it comes to TBI hospitalizations, which studies have shown effect over 280,000 people each year. The causes of the injury are wide in variety and can occur from open or closed head injuries to deceleration injuries (also known as a diffuse axonal injuries), but its complexities delve much deeper. 

A traumatic brain injury can have life-altering effects on a victim's emotional and physical well-being, but can also do severe damage to the physical nature of the brain. The injury may require years, if not decades, of special care and rehabilitation from care facilities like CareMeridian, Las Vegas Nursing Home. The impairments from a brain injury can affect speech, vision, coordination, the short term and long term memory, and may even result in mood swings and behavioral changes in personality. Considering that every brain injury is different, rehabilitation depends on the individual case and injury; yet, prevention is possible. 

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On January 21, 2010, the day that U. S. Regulators  warned that Meridia (sibutramine) shouldn't be given to patients with a history of heart problems, their counterparts in Europe said the popular diet drug should be banned. The European Medicines Agency said that sibutramine - sold in Europe under several names, including Reductil, Reduxade and Zelium - should be pulled from the market because of associated risks of stroke and heart attack.

    The call for a European ban came after a study of 10,000 patients suggested it put them at a higher risk for heart disease. The study, Sibutramine Cardiovascular Morbidity/Mortality Outcomes in Overweight or Obese Subjects at Risk of a Cardiovascular Event (SCOUT), was begun in 2002, and involved patients who were 55 years of age or older, overweight or obese, and had a history of heart disease or type 2 diabetes plus one additional cardiovascular risk factor. Patients who recently had a heart attack or stroke, or had poorly controlled congestive heart failure were not included in the study.

    Preliminary data from SCOUT showed that cardiovascular events were reported in 11.4% of patients using Meridia compared to 10% of patients using a placebo. According to the FDA Early Communication issued in November, this difference was higher than expected, suggesting that Meridia is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk in the study population.

    Based on the SCOUT findings, the European Medicines Agency found that "the risks of these medicines are greater than their benefits." Its decision will now get passed to the European Commission for review.

    The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that because of the SCOUT findings, Abbott Laboratories had agreed to add a new contraindication to the Meridia label that it not be used in patients with a history of heart disease, including:

• History of coronary artery disease (e.g., heart attack, angina)
• History of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• History of heart arrhythmias
• History of congestive heart failure
• History of peripheral arterial disease
• Uncontrolled hypertension (e.g., > 145/90 mmHg)

    Meridia is a drug that is typically prescribed  to patients with a history of obesity or being overweight.  This particular patient population is at a greater risk of cardiovascular events. If you or a family member has suffered a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular event while on Meridia, please call an attorney with McGowan, Hood and Felder today at 877-327-3800 (toll free).  We offer all potential clients a  free consultation to assist them in determining their legal rights.  Call us today to determine your rights in regard to Meridia.

McGowan, Hood, and Felder, LLC is one of the most experienced medical malpractice law firms in the Southeast. Medical Malpractice can come in almost any form from missed test results, to ignorant physicians, to nurses who do not follow doctor’s orders.

After handling so many cases, we can put most malpractice into three categories;

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McGowan, Hood, and Felder, LLC has represented numerous clients in regard to personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against physicians and hospitals alleging that the medical practitioners failed to heed warning signs occurring during an impending birth. These situations have led to catastrophic injuries for infants and their families who trusted their medical professional.

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McGowan, Hood, and Felder, LLC has handled numerous actions in the federal courts, both here in the District of South Carolina and outside the state. The cases have ranged from catastrophic injury (trucking accidents, products liability, etc.) to complex anti-trust class actions.

Federal court in South Carolina has several advantages: a single judge who will get to know your case, rapid resolution of motions and other issues, and more certainty in trial scheduling. On the other hand, there are a number of pitfalls that can trip up even experienced trial attorneys.

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