“Baby boomers are spending more and more time in hospital emergency rooms because of the medications that they take,” said New York medication error lawyer Michael A. Bottar, Esq., an attorney with Syracuse-based Bottar Law, PLLC, a team of lawyers handling New York emergency room lawsuits. “Unfortunately,” Bottar added, “many of the medications that seniors take do more harm than good.”
According to Dr. Carolyn Clancy, the Director of the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, Americans take a record number of medications to maintain their health. This is because many medical problems can now be treated with drugs that were not available years ago. However, a constellation of drugs used to treat virtually all ailments have been linked to three troublesome conditions, including: (1) drug-induced delirium, (2) drug overdose, and (3) drug withdrawal.
Often, when seniors present to emergency rooms with complaints, they are prescribed drugs that are not compatible (i.e., contraindicated) with their current medication regimen. For example, seniors on blood thinners should not receive tPA, a stroke drug we blogged about previously in a post titled “What Is tPA and Is It Available In Central New York Emergency Rooms.” Likewise, prescriptions are frequently discontinued in the emergency room setting even through the patient should not stop taking a drug. “Either scenario can have devastating consequences,” said Bottar, whose office is currently prosecuting several medication error lawsuits involving severe personal injury and permanent disability, including stroke and blindness.
The trial lawyers at Bottar Law, PLLC, have decades of experience investigating, prosecuting and trying to verdict all types of medical malpractice and hospital mistake cases, including those arising out of emergency room medication errors. If you or a loved one have been injured, you and/or your family may be entitled to compensation for lifelong health care, special education, medical expenses, medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
To discuss your case or concerns with an experienced Central New York medical malpractice attorney, contact Bottar Law, PLLC now at (315) 422-3466, (800) 336-LAWS, or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.