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davidslepkow · 4 years ago

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IVC Filter settlement amounts as a result of an inferior vena cava lawsuit are difficult to determine at this time. Issues with an IVC (inferior vena cava) filter may lead to many unwelcome side effects and IVC filter complications. Physician utilize IVC Filters to strengthen weak or damaged tissue. If you were implanted with a defective IVC filter, contact top IVC filter lawsuit attorneys. These IVC filter complications can drastically alter a patient’s quality of life. Many victims are seeking information about: “Bard IVC filter lawsuit settlements, “ivc filter lawsuit awards”, “blood clot filter lawsuit” and “IVC filter lawsuit settlements” Most importantly, do not miss an ivc filter lawsuit deadline!

Bard IVC lawsuit

In order to determine what ivc filter lawsuit settlements amounts will be, a victim needs to be informed. IVC lawsuits are individual lawsuits and none of the lawsuits constitute an ivc filter class action lawsuit. A patient suffering from serious medical complications due to an inferior IVC filter product and/or placement will be afforded the ability to seek compensation using an ivc filter lawsuit for the following reasons:

IVC FILTER DEFECTS:

The filter has migrated from its original placement position.

The IVC filter did not prevent (or lessen the severity of) a pulmonary embolism.

The filter is not removable due to migration.

The filter has become fractured, broken, or otherwise come apart in some way- whether or not it has migrated from its original position.

The filter perforated, punctured, or otherwise caused damage to the IVC or other blood vessels.

The filter has malfunctioned or broken, causing damage to other organs such as the lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, etc.

The patient has had to undergo further surgery to have a malfunctioning IVC hernias filter removed.

IVC FILTER UPDATE

Update- 11/28/2020- “The guidelines on the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in the treatment of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE; ie, deep vein thrombosis [DVT] or pulmonary embolism [PE]) were published in October 2020 by the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma, the American Heart Association (AHA), the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), and the Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM).[1]” medscape

9-25-2020- “Medtech trade group AdvaMed this week debuted a website that tracks law firm TV advertisements aimed at patients who have had certain medical devices implanted. The ��Responsible Advertising for Patient Safety” site says that such ads mislead patients into legal action against the manufacturers of devices that are “non-faulty” and may jeopardize patient safety. We are advocates protecting patients from risks associated with deceptive, third-party funded advertisements,” the site says. “We support the doctor-patient relationship and seeking proper medical, not legal, advice for any medical device and health-related concerns.” Medical Design

8-13-2020- “The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday affirmed a $3.6 million award to Sherr-Una Booker, the first bellwether plaintiff in the Bard IVC Filter Multidistrict Litigation and the only one, of five, to win her case at trial. Booker, a Georgia resident represented by Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick, still has a fragment of the C.R. Bard G2 filter lodged in a vein leading to her heart, the 9th Circuit said. The MDL jury in Phoenix awarded her $1.6 million in compensation and $2 million in punitive damages in 2018, finding that Bard knew the G2 fractured, migrated and caused perforations at a “significantly higher” rate than competing filters and should have included a warning to physicians on the label.” Reuters

8/6/2020- “The placement of an inferior vena cava filter reduced the rate of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and cancer, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open….This population-based cohort study included encounter-level data from the (HCUP) databases. The analysis included a total of 88,585 patients (median age, 71.0 years) with malignant neoplasms and a diagnosis of acute lower extremity DVT from state inpatient databases from California (2005-2011) and Florida (2005-2014) who were enrolled in the HCUP. Investigators examined all hospital visits for these patients to determine whether or not an IVC filter was placed. The primary outcome was the development of new PE following the initial DVT diagnosis. Additionally, the rates of new DVT as well as in-hospital mortality were examined. The researchers concluded that “[t]hese data suggest that IVC filter use in patients with cancer is of potential benefit in appropriately selected patients,” but additional studies are needed to determine “the appropriate use of these devices.” Pulmonology Advisor

1/9/2020- The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has vacated a $3 million judgment against Bloomington-based Cook Medical. The company had been sued by a Georgia woman who claimed an intravenous filter made by Cook deteriorated inside her body, causing medical complications. In the lawsuit, Tonya Brand said she pulled part of her inferior vena cava (IVC) filter out of her thigh in 2011 after it had broken up and deteriorated. She says some pieces of the device are still lodged in her body and cannot be removed. In February 2019, a jury awarded Brand $3 million, however the court has now vacated the judgment and ordered a new trial. In its decision, the court said the “Plaintiff did not have overwhelming evidence to show the filter was defective or that a defect in the filter caused her injuries” and that “a jury could have just as easily found in Cook’s favor.” inside business

1 -8-2020- “On January 8, 2020, the Ontario Court of Appeal certified this proceeding to move forward as a class action on behalf of all residents of Canada who were implanted with an IVC filter product, namely: the Cook Gunther Tulip Vena Cava Filter Set, the Cook Celect Vena Cava Filter Set, and the Cook Celect Platinum Vena Cava Filter Set, at any time on or before January 8, 2020.” Newswire

11/1/2019- “The lawsuit was filed by a woman from Georgia who was implanted with an Option® blood clot filter in 2016. The filter perforated the wall of her vein, causing her to suffer severe pain and health problems. The jury awarded her over $1 million in future medical expenses, plus more than $2.3 million in future pain and suffering. The jury also awarded an additional $30.3 million in punitive damages. Blood clot filters are wire devices that are implanted in the vena cava, where they are supposed to catch blood clots and prevent deadly pulmonary embolisms. Unfortunately, IVC filters also pose serious risks. The filter can move out of position, fracture into pieces, puncture the vein, and more. Rex Medical was accused of selling a defective IVC filter with an unreasonably dangerous risk of causing complications. The trial began in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas earlier this month. It was the first case to come before a Philadelphia jury in the nationwide IVC filter litigation.” Daily Hornet

IVC FILTER | THE 411

There are over 10,000 ivc filter lawsuits pending in the United States. These IVC Filter lawsuits are pending in both Federal and State Courts. Victims are seeking lucrative awards.

The most IVC Filter lawsuits have been filed against Bard Medical and Cook Medical. Many victims are waiting to get an IVC filter payout.

There are currently two MDL’s: 1.) The Bard MDL located in Arizona Federal Court. 2.) The Cook Medical MDL ( MDL No. 2570 IN RE: Cook Medical, Inc., IVC Filters Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation) which is pending in Federal Court in Indiana. “Southern District of Indiana, assigned to Judge Richard L. Young and Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.” INSD

“Rex Medical L.P., the designer of the Option and Option Elite IVC Filters as well as the distributor of these products, Argon Medical, face a growing number of lawsuits related to injuries that plaintiffs’ complaints allege were caused by these devices. (See a detailed list of complaints and attorneys below.) We believe the majority, if not all, claims against Rex and Argon have been filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiffs claim that jurisdiction is proper in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas under Pennsylvania Law partially due to the Pennsylvania citizenship of Rex Medical.” Mass tort

“Boston Scientific faces a product liability lawsuit brought by the family of Ohio woman, which alleges that problems with a Greenfield Vena Cava filter caused severe internal injuries and death. The complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on January 12, by Julia and Raylyn Ratliff, administrators of the estate of Cinthia K. Ratliff.” About lawsuits

“Following a three-week-long trial, a Houston firefighter, Jeff Pavlock, was awarded more than $1.2 million by a Texas jury for the lawsuit filed against Cook Medical LLC involving an IVC filter. The plaintiff was implanted with Cook Celect IVC filter in March 2015 to avert blood clots from reaching his heart, but the filter tilted and pierced into his tissues causing an internal injury, requiring a revision surgery. The allegations include failure to warn the performing surgeon about the possible adverse effects of the defectively designed filter. Cynthia Kretz, vice president and general counsel for Cook Medical and Cook Group, expressed her disappointment saying, “we are disappointed in this outcome and do not believe this verdict is supported by the facts or the law. This one case does not change our position on continually defending this important, life-saving technology.” Cook officials stated that they plan to appeal the court’s decision on the allegations laid on them over its IVC filter.” Neuralit

BARD IVC FILTER LAWSUIT MDL:

“The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Bard IVC filter lawsuits indicates that the Court will consider whether to establish a separate track for cases likely to be resolved in settlement, or whether to simply begin remanding all cases after an upcoming bellwether trial. There are currently more than 5,700 product liability cases pending in a federal multidistrict litigation, each involving allegations that plaintiffs experienced complications with IVC filters manufactured by C.R. Bard, including reports that the retrievable blood clot filters moved out of position, punctured internal organs or fractured, causing small pieces to travel throughout the body.” About Lawsuits

IVC FILTER PAYOUTS

“Given similar questions of fact and law presented in the cases, the litigation has been centralized before U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell in the District of Arizona since August 2015, for coordinated discovery and a group of “bellwether” trials designed to help gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain evidence and testimony that is likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.” Id.

BLOOD CLOT FILTER

Bard medical MDL bellwether trial

1st Bard MDL bellwether trial in 2018- Verdict for 3.6 million in favor of victim.

2nd bellwether trial- Defense verdict a couple of months after the first bellwether.

3rd bellwether trial- Schedule for May 2019. This trial is about the Bard Recovery Filter.

COOK MEDICAL IVC FILTER MDL UPDATE

There are more than 5000 Cook medical IVC Filter lawsuits consolidated in to the MDL in the Southern District of Indiana. Many victims are seeking information abou cook ivc filter lawsuit. “Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 , the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has transferred a number of actions to the Southern District of Indiana, assigned to Judge Richard L. Young and Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. The Plaintiffs allege defect in Cook Medical’s IVC filter, a medical device placed in the inferior vena cava to catch blood clots and stop them from traveling to the heart or lungs. The cases generally allege defective design, misrepresentation in marketing, and failure to warn doctors and patients. The Southern District of Indiana’s Master Case is: 1:14-ml-2570-RLY-TAB (PACER access required)” https://www.insd.uscourts.gov/mdl-case-information

SETTLEMENTS

“According to recent court filings, Cook Medical and plaintiffs lawyers are continuing settlement negotiations in an attempt to resolve IVC filter lawsuits pending throughout the federal court system, as additional “bellwether” claims are being prepared for early trial dates. There are currently more than 4,700 product liability cases filed against Cook Medical in U.S. District Courts nationwide, each involving similar allegations that Cook Celect, Cook Gunther Tulip or other inferior vena cava (IVC) filters were defectively designed and prone to migrate out of position, puncture internal organs, fracture or cause other serious health complications.” https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/cook-ivc-filter-settlement-negotiations-151304/

Important Orders in MDL 2570

THE COOK MEDICAL IVC FILTER BELLWETHER TRIALS

1st Cook Medical lawsuit bellwether trial- Defense verdict.

2nd Cook Medical IVC Filter lawsuit bellwether trial- Case dismissed on summary judgement because the victim missed a statute of limitations / IVC Filter deadline.

3rd Cook Medical IVC lawsuit-bellwether: Jury determines that the IVC filter is defective and awards IVC filter victim 3 million in damages. This trial went on for over a month. The IVC Filter lawsuit jury refused to award punitive damages to the victim

GREENFIELD IVC FILTER LAWSUIT AGAINST BOSTON SCIENTIFIC

If you are a victim of the Greenfield IVC , you should seriously consider filing a greenfield filter lawsuit. What are the greenfield filter lawsuits? “Boston Scientific produces the Greenfield™ Stainless Steel Vena Cava Filter. (It is named after Dr. Lazar Greenfield, who originally designed it.) The Greenfield™ filter is implanted in patients’ veins to stop current blood clots from traveling while maintaining as normal a blood flow as possible. According to the manufacturer website, more than one million of these devices have been implanted in the last three decades.” Shouse Law

HEART FILTER

The heart filter lawsuits, which are often know as a blood clot filter lawsuit, pertain to allegations that the manufacturer of the medical device did not properly warn medical doctors and victims of the heightened risk of the heart filter breaking causing metal fragments to travel in the blood, possibly causing organ damage. Many heart filter victims are wondering:

What are the ivc filter lawsuit settlements amounts?

How long until there will be ivc filter lawsuit settlements?

How do I get an ivc filter payout

WHAT IS AN INFERIOR VENA CAVA FILTER PLACEMENT?

“An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a small device that can stop blood clots from going up into the lungs. The inferior vena cava is a large vein in the middle of your body. The device is put in during a short surgery. Veins are the blood vessels that bring oxygen-poor blood and waste products back to the heart. Arteries are the blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the body. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a vein deep inside the body. A clot occurs when blood thickens and clumps together. In most cases, this clot forms inside one of the deep veins of the thigh or lower leg.” Hopkins Medicine

FIRST BELLWETHER TRIALS

“Inferior vena cava filters are commonly used to prevent pulmonary embolism in patients who manifest deep vein thrombosis and recurrent pulmonary embolism despite anticoagulation, or in patients with contraindications to anticoagulation.” NCBI

“The first bellwether trials over medical devices that are designed to prevent blood clots during surgery have failed to carve out a clear winner, with another trial set to begin next week. About 9,000 lawsuits allege that various types of inferior vena cava filters, or IVC filters, which doctors implant in patients, have perforated or fractured in their bodies, causing pain and leading to removal surgeries. Among the several device manufacturers listed in the lawsuits, C.R. Bard Inc. and Cook Medical Inc. face the largest number of cases, clocking in over 4,000 each. law.com

DO I QUALIFY FOR A LAWSUIT?

The victim “had an IVC Filter (Inferior Vena Cav) implanted after January 2003 and suffered any of the following injuries after receiving this implant:

��Device Became Non- Removable, Device Tilted, Filter Fracture, Device Migration, Filter Perforation, Device Embolization (Deatched Components), Filter Punctured Blood Vessels or Organs, Death.” (Source Consumer Awareness Group Full Service Marketing and Intake Support Center)

Implanted with: Bard IVC filter, Cook IVC, Johnson and Johnson IVC.

IVC FILTER LAWSUIT DEADLINE

IVC Filter victims who do not meet the above IVC lawsuit criteria should still reach out to an IVC Filter lawsuit lawyer to see whether he or she can still file an IVC filter lawsuit.

1.2 MILLION VERDICT IN TEXAS

“So far, trials have failed to identify a clear victor. Cook won the first IVC filter trial last year, but it lost a $1.2 million verdict in Texas state court on May 24. Bard lost a $3.6 million verdict on March 30, but followed up with a defense win on June 1. Judges also have granted summary judgment motions in at least two key cases slated for trials. For these reasons and more, a patient can and should seek legal representation. IVC filters have had numerous warnings and recalls over the years. It comes as little to no surprise many patients are now facing the ramifications of faulty products and/or poor placement procedures. Though the pain and suffering can not be reversed with monetary compensation, the outcome of a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the IVC and possibly against the medical professionals in charge of the patients’ care will deliver peace of mind in a most difficult time.” Law

IVC FILTER LAWSUITS AND IVC FILTER LAW FIRMS

Considering all this and more will greatly reduce the chances of a patient having a negative experience. Of course, complications will arise regardless of either the doctor’s or patient’s frugality in understanding the potential outcomes. If and when that happens, finding the best legal representation is imperative. Those who are left without legal recourse to obtain compensation for time lost from work and/or other major lifestyle alterations due to the procedure or complications therefrom will find themselves less able to function in their everyday lives and see an inevitable decline in their quality of life.

IVC FILTER LAWYER

A licensed physician is not one typically one who is out to take advantage of unhealthy patients. Though invasive surgeries may be more commonplace today than they were even twenty or thirty years ago, and our technologies and understanding of the issues have grown exponentially, there will still be those instances where something doesn’t go according to plan. Rarer, though still a prevalent issue, the doctor or surgeon made the wrong call or bungled the procedure. In those cases, seeking immediate legal representation will greatly benefit the patient in the end.Whether you or a loved one has experienced pain and issues with their IVC hernia filter or are taking preventative measures before undergoing such a procedure, it will behoove the individual to keep in mind the serious risks and potential medical complications which can, and very well may, arise in the aftermath of the surgery.

WHAT IS A DENALI IVC FILTER?

A Denali Ivc filter is described here: “The DENALI® Vena Cava Filter is a venous interruption device designed to prevent pulmonary embolism. TheDENALI® Filter can be delivered via the femoral and jugular/subclavian approaches. A separate delivery system isavailable for each approach. The DENALI® Filter is designed to act as a permanent filter. When clinically indicated,the DENALI® Filter may be percutaneously removed after implantation according to the instructions provided under the “Optional Procedure for Filter Removal” section.”

BARD IVC FILTER LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTS

“The DENALI® Filter consists of twelve shape-memory laser-cut nickel-titanium appendages. These twelve appendages form two levels of filtration with the legs providing the lower level of filtration and the arms providing the upper level of filtration. The DENALI® Filter is intended to be used in the inferior vena cava (IVC) with a diameter less than or equal to 28mm.” Bard/ Davol

IVC FILTER LAWSUIT ATTORNEYS

For those patients who are suffering, there is hope for a return to your previous standard of living. Though the physical problems may never fully disappear, having the right legal team fighting for your patient rights can deliver one from a state of utter despair and hopelessness to one of seeing a brighter future on the horizon! Victims are looking for IVC filter attorneys to file IVC filter lawsuits or a blood clot filter lawsuit on their behalf. As of this date there has been no global ivc filter lawsuit settlements. Victims are hoping for an ivc filter lawsuit settlement in order to get an IVC Filter payout as soon as possible. An IVC filter lawsuit using a blood clot filter lawsuit lawyer will help the victim get justice and compensation in the form of an IVC filter payout for his or her complications. If you are seeking an ivc filter payout, you need to speak to an IVC lawsuit lawyer as soon as possible. If you do not have a lawsuit filed because you missed an ivc filter lawsuit deadline, then it makes no difference what the IVC settlement amounts end up amounting to. It cannot be repeated enough that the greenfield filter lawsuits are not an ivc filter class action lawsuit.

#ivc filter lawsuit

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number06fan · 4 years ago

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Atlanta Legionnaires Disease Outbreaks

Recent Atlanta Legionnaires Disease Outbreaks:

CDC Atlanta Legionnaires Disease Investigation

In the latest Atlanta Legionnaires disease investigation, the CDC has closed several buildings it leases in Atlanta after their cooling towers have tested positive for Legionella. “During the recent closures at our leased space in Atlanta, working through the General Services Administration (GSA), CDC directed the landlord to take protective actions,” the CDC said in a statement to CNN. “Despite their best efforts, CDC has been notified that Legionella, which can cause Legionnaires’ Disease, is present in a cooling tower as well as in some water sources in the buildings. Out of an abundance of caution, we have closed these buildings until successful remediation is complete.”

Legionella bacteria thrive in stagnant or warm water and have caused recent Atlanta Legionnaires disease outbreaks. With COVID closing down building plumbing systems for months, dormant building water systems may provide the ideal breeding ground for Legionnaires disease. As people return to work and start to travel more, hospitals and clinics need to think about the possibility of Legionella, the CDC’s Chris Edens said. “Flu and coronavirus are not the only things that can cause severe pneumonia,” he said. If people turn up with pneumonia, it’s worth testing them for Legionella — especially since it can be treated with antibiotics, unlike flu or coronavirus. “This water has been sitting and could be at risk of Legionella growth.” Click here for more information on Legionnaires Disease and COVID.

The fix is not difficult. “You want to keep the cold water cold and you want to keep your hot water hot,” Edens said. Legionella flourishes at temperatures between 80° and 120° Fahrenheit. It’s killed by chlorination and other disinfecting routines, but the bacteria can grow into mats that create hard-to-dislodge sludge inside pipes, Edens said. “One of the things that we typically recommend in buildings that have been disused is flushing,” he said. That can be as simple as turning the faucet on. Let cold or hot water course through the system. Keep that water moving.”

According to the CDC, to date no one has been reported ill in this latest Atlanta Legionnaires disease investigation.

Sheraton Atlanta Legionnaires Disease Outbreak

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) announced 12 lab-confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease, 63 probable cases, and 1 death of Legionnaires’ disease linked to the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel.

The source of the outbreak, which affected guests who visited or stayed at the downtown Atlanta hotel between June 12 and July 15, was likely water systems in the hotel. The hotel voluntarily closed as a result of the outbreak for remediation and sanitization.

What is Legionnaires’ Disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is the common name for legionellosis or infection with the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, found in water systems. It is estimated that 10,000 to 18,000 people in the United States are infected with the Legionella bacterium each year.

Symptoms include fever, chills, and a cough that may or may not produce sputum. Additional symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes confusion. Some patients may experience headache, muscle ache, loss of appetite, and tiredness. Symptoms generally appear between two and ten days after exposure.

How Do You Get Legionnaires’ Disease?

Legionnaires’ is contracted when a person breathes in small droplets of water from the air that contains the harmful bacteria Legionella. While it is not a very common mode of transmission, Legionnaires’ disease can be contracted by aspiration of contaminated drinking water. This happens when water “goes down the wrong pipe,” where a person is drinking, and the water enters the trachea or windpipe instead of going down the throat into the digestive tract.

Who is at Risk of Legionnaires’ Disease?

While anyone can be exposed to the Legionella bacterium, most health people show no symptoms or recover quickly. For some, Legionnaires’ is a greater concern. People who are 50 years or older have a higher risk of infection along with those with certain medical issues. People with chronic lung disease such as obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema are at a higher risk. Those with a weak immune system or take drugs that weaken the immune system (such as chemotherapy and drugs taken after a transplant operation) are also at a higher risk. People with cancer, underlying illness such diabetes, kidney failure and liver failure are in this high-risk category as well.

Diagnosing Legionnaire’s Disease

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing the patient for Legionnaires’ disease if the patient is in Intensive Care and has severe pneumonia or has pneumonia and a weakened immune system. The patient should be tested for Legionnaires’ disease if they have been treated with antibiotics, but symptoms have not resolved. If the patient has travelled away from home within the past two weeks and then became ill they may have come in contact with Legionella pneumophila and should be tested for Legionnaires’. Additionally, if the patient may have acquired pneumonia in a nursing home or hospital, they should be tested for Legionnaires’. Of course, if the patient has pneumonia during a legionellosis outbreak, they should be tested for Legionnaires’ disease.

You should contact your health care provider and/or the local health department if you believe you may have been exposed to Legionella and you have symptoms such as fever, cough, chills, or muscle aches.

Legionnaires’ disease is treated with antibiotics. In severe situations, life-threatening complications may occur, such as lung and kidney failure. Other complications include septic shock caused by a subsequent blood infection that may cause a sudden and unsafe drop in blood pressure.

Testing for Legionnaires’ Disease

Health care providers have four common ways of detecting the Legionella bacterium to diagnose legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease. These include antigen testing, culture, antibody testing, and genetic testing. A urine or respiratory sample is required to complete these tests. The CDC suggests antigen and culture testing to diagnose Legionnaires’ disease. Additional testes such as sputum culture, gram staining, complete blood count, and chemistry panels may also be ordered to help give a bigger picture of the patients’ overall health and any other ailment the body may be fighting. An additional blood sample may be required for these tests.

Antigen Testing

Antigen testing is often performed as an initial test if Legionnaires’ is suspected and provides a rapid result. This testing is specific to Legionella pneumophila and detects one of the bacterium’s proteins. This can be found in the urine and sometimes other bodily fluids, but urine is the most common sample used. A negative test result does not necessarily rule out the infection, as it only detects the serogroup 1 of Legionella pneumophila, though most cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the United States are a result of this specific bacteria. This is a quick method to get a yes or no answer. The “yes” allows the health care provider to look into specific treatment right away. The “no” just means that the physician will continue the diagnostic process, which will likely include a bacterial culture regardless of the positive or negative outcome of the test.

Bacterial Culture

To confirm the presence of Legionella bacteria and diagnose Legionnaires’ disease, a bacterial culture is often performed on sputum. Sputum is a medical term for what someone coughs up as a result of respiratory illness. The laboratory uses a special nutrient media that encourages the growth of Legionella and discourages the growth of other bacteria. For this reason, it is considered the “gold standard” and a confirmation tool to diagnose the infection. This test takes a little bit of time, though a positive culture may grow between 48 and 72 hours. Negative cultures are held for seven days before a final result is reported to be sure no growth occurs.

Antibody Testing

Antibody testing using Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) staining for Legionella species is another diagnostic tool a physician may use to diagnose Legionnaires’ disease. This is a rapid test that uses a specialized stain that attaches to antibodies specific to Legionella bacteria. This test can provide results in as little as 2 to 4 hours.

Underdiagnoses of Legionnaires’ Disease

This disease is often underdiagnosed because many who are infected do not develop any symptoms. Additionally, of those who do have symptoms often go undiagnosed, as the sickness presents symptoms similar to other types of pneumonia. Specialized laboratory tests must be performed to confirm the presence of the bacterium to properly diagnose the illness of legionellosis. These tests aren’t generally performed on someone presenting pneumonia symptoms unless Legionnaires’ is considered a possibility. Common diagnostic tools include detecting bacteria found in sputum, finding presence of antigens in urine, or in blood samples by comparing two different samples taken three to six weeks apart.

Legionnaires Disease Fast Facts (FAQs)

Scientists named the bacterium after an outbreak in Philadelphia in 1976. During that outbreak, many people who went to an American Legion convention got sick with pneumonia (lung infection).

Health departments reported about 6,100 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the United States in 2016. However, because Legionnaires’ disease is likely under-diagnosed, this number may underestimate the true incidence.

About one in 10 people who gets sick from Legionnaires’ disease will die.

People can get Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain Legionella.

In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people. However, this may be possible under rare circumstances.

Legionella occurs naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams. It can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made building water systems.

Keeping Legionella out of water systems in buildings is key to preventing infection.

Is There Compensation for Legionnaires’ Disease?

Yes. If the owner of a building was negligent in failing to properly reduce or prevent the spread of legionella bacteria and this causes a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, then victims of Legionnaires’ disease can pursue a lawsuit against the negligent parties to obtain compensation.

Can A Legionnaires’ Disease Lawyer Help?

When a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak resulted from a building owner’s negligence, a Legionnaires’ disease attorney can help to prove that:

the building owner failed to follow important safety rules

the safety rules exist to prevent legionella bacteria from growing and spreading through the air, where they can get people sick

had the building owner followed the important safety rules, no one would have gotten sick with Legionnaires’ disease

The Lange Law Firm

Our mission is to help families who have been harmed by contaminated food or water. When corporations cause food poisoning outbreaks or Legionnaires disease outbreaks, we use the law to hold them accountable. The Lange Law Firm is the only law firm in the nation solely focused on representing families in food poisoning lawsuits and Legionnaires disease lawsuits.

If you were infected with Legionnaires disease in the Atlanta Legionnaires Outbreak and are interested in making a legal claim for compensation, we can help. Call us for a free no obligation legal consultation at 833.330.3663, or send us an e-mail here.

The post Atlanta Legionnaires Disease Outbreaks appeared first on The Lange Law Firm.

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vsplusonline · 5 years ago

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Amputations, organ failure, blood clotting: The range of complications in COVID-19 cases

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/amputations-organ-failure-blood-clotting-the-range-of-complications-in-covid-19-cases/

Amputations, organ failure, blood clotting: The range of complications in COVID-19 cases

TORONTO — Canadian Broadway star Nick Cordero’s recent leg amputation due to complications from COVID-19 is an example of a constellation of things that can go wrong during severe bodily infections, say doctors.

The Hamilton-raised actor-singer’s wife, personal trainer Amanda Kloots, said his right leg was amputated last weekend in Los Angeles after blood clotting issues arose while he was being treated for the coronavirus. Cordero was in a medically induced coma on various machines to support his heart, lungs and kidneys.

While problems with organs and tissues can also unfold in other types of flu and critical illness, doctors say such cases highlight that COVID-19 can stretch far beyond a respiratory illness.

As Montreal emergency physician Dr. Abdo Shabah explains, complications can arise beyond the typical flu and respiratory symptoms due to high levels of inflammation in the lungs, which can affect the level of oxygen in the blood and its delivery.

That can put stress on the whole body and lead to issues with the heart, such as arrhythmia and unstable blood pressure, and infection in other organs including the kidneys and liver.

“The inflammation in the whole body triggered by this disease can affect the clotting path, and that is still under research,” says Shabah, a board member at the Canadian Medical Association.

“It’s very difficult to describe the clear mechanism, but we see that association with other organ failures, such as kidney failures or having other clotting factors.”

Chinese doctors were first to sound the alarm about blood clots in COVID-19 patients.

In March, Chinese heart specialists advised the American College of Cardiology to watch for clots and said certain blood tests showing a rise in clot risk might signal which patients were in greatest danger. Other reports suggested the clots can show up all over the body. But were they a cause of deterioration or an effect? And what role does treatment play in exacerbating some of the complications?

Patients with severe cases may need a ventilator to help the lungs, a dialysis machine to support the kidneys, and an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine to assist the heart and lungs. The 41-year-old Cordero was on all three at one point in his treatment.

Like any medical intervention, such aggressive support devices can also pose a risk to a patient through infection, blood clots and other issues. But generally such machines are life-saving measures and their benefits far outweigh the risks associated with them, says Shabah.

Clotting factors and organ failures are still “minimal compared to the main general aspects of really severe pulmonary failure,” says Shabah. “So respiratory failure that happens is the main thing that worries us.”

Patients with severe cases may also require high doses of certain medications, such as inotropes or vasopressors, to support the heart and control blood pressure.

“What we see sometimes with high doses of vasopressure medications, is that it sort of robs some parts of the body from blood pressure in order to supply the core organs,” says Dr. Rob Fowler of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

“And so we see that maybe the skin, for instance, in the fingers and the toes will look like they have less blood supply and less oxygen there, because that’s in part the way some of these medications will work.”

As with seasonal influenza, patients who are more at risk of having severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications are those who are over age 65, and those with underlying health conditions and chronic diseases, which range from heart disease and high blood pressure, to diabetes, cancer, obesity and lung disease.

But Fowler says hospitals are seeing both “the original presentation” of COVID-19 infections and complications in greater numbers, which puts a bigger strain on the health-care system.

“A big thing with this whole outbreak is just the volume of patients that we will see is so much greater with COVID, because it’s affecting a population around the world that’s never seen it before, and so no one has any immunity to it,” says Fowler.

“With all of these complications, there was the first issue about running out of ventilators. But then soon after that, people began to realize we might also run out of dialysis machines, because we’re needing to use them in numbers in a short period of time that we’re not used to doing.”

Medicine used to treat such cases is also running out.

“Medications to keep people comfortable, sedated when they’re on breathing machines; medications to support blood pressure, for instance, are being used at a rate that exceeds the usual ability to supply many hospitals,” adds Fowler, who works in a critical care unit.

“And we’re seeing these almost-shortages or shortages on a daily basis because of this increase in global demand. And it’s not just ventilators — it’s all that goes along with supporting people.”

Shabah echoes Fowler’s message that this is all putting stress on the health-care system, which requires synchronicity in order to function properly, including having enough trained staff and a good supply of materials.

“If we have all the majors in place, I think we could manage it very well,” Shabah says.

“And I hope as Canadians, we will be able to get all this set for the next wave.”

–With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2020.

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kroccies · 5 years ago

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3 Smoking Smoking Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health. However, every smoker thinks that the consequences of smoking will not affect him, and he lives today, not thinking about the diseases that will inevitably appear in him in 10-20 years. It is known that sooner or later you will have to pay for each bad habit with your health. Smoking is associated with up to 90% of mortality from lung cancer, 75% of bronchitis and 25% of coronary heart disease among men under 65 years of age. Smoking or passive inhalation of tobacco smoke can cause infertility in women. Atrophy and destruction of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord with multiple sclerosis is more pronounced in patients who smoked at least 6 months during their life compared to never smoked patients.Tobacco addiction can be either psychological or physical. With psychological dependence, a person reaches for a cigarette when he is in a smoking company, or in a state of stress, nervous tension, to stimulate mental activity. With physical dependence, the body’s demand for a nicotine dose is so strong that the smoker’s attention is focused on finding a cigarette; the idea of smoking becomes so obsessive that most other needs go by the wayside. It becomes impossible to concentrate on anything other than a cigarette; apathy and unwillingness to do something may occur.2 Alcohol Alcohol Alcohol is present in almost every person’s life. Someone drinks only on holidays, someone likes to relax with a drink of alcohol on the weekend, and someone abuses the alcoholic constantly. Under the influence of ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages, everything collapses, primarily the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Weak muscles, blood clots in the vessels, diabetes, a shrunken brain, a swollen liver, weakened kidneys, impotence, depression, a stomach ulcer are just a partial list of what you can get from regular beer consumption or something stronger. Any portion of alcohol is a blow to the intellect, to health, to the future.A bottle of vodka drunk in an hour can kill you on the spot, in the literal sense. Next time, before you drink 100 grams, imagine your body dying slowly under the influence of ethanol while you have fun. Imagine that your cells are slowly suffocating, that the brain, saving itself, blocks a lot of brain centers, because of which there is incoherent speech, violation of spatial sensation, impaired coordination of movements and memory lapses. Imagine how your blood thickens, forms deadly blood clots, how the blood sugar level goes off scale, how the brain structures responsible for intelligence and quickness die, how alcohol burns through the walls of the stomach, forming non-healing ulcers.1 Drugs Drugs The use of drugs leads to severe violations, primarily the mental and physical functions of the body. In modern society, few people do not know about the dangers of drugs, but, despite this, they still attract people, becoming destructive for many. People who use drugs have insomnia, dry mucous membranes, nasal congestion, trembling hands, and the pupils become unusually wide, not responding to changes in the brightness of the eyes.A drug is poison, it slowly destroys the human brain, its psyche. They either die from a broken heart, or because their nasal septum becomes thinner, which leads to fatal bleeding. When using, for example, LSD, a person loses the ability to navigate in space, he has a feeling that he is able to fly and, having believed in his abilities, jumps from the top floor. All addicts do not live long, regardless of the type of drug used. They lose the instinct of self-preservation, which leads to the fact that about 60% of drug addicts, during the first two years after becoming familiar with drugs, attempt suicide. Many of them succeed.12 most bad habits of man Bad habits prevent a person from successfully realizing himself as a person. Most of these habits negatively affect either a person with such a habit, or people around him. In any case, you need to try to cope with this problem as quickly and efficiently as possible so that it never again bothers you or those around you. In this ranking, we will talk about the most harmful habits and addictions.

12 Profanity Profanity To some, profanity may not seem like such a bad habit, but just an element of the language, which has recently been used by more and more people. Even on the airs of many programs you can hear the “kick” of the mat. Using obscene language not only shows disrespect for those present, but can also become a habit when obscene words slip through every 5-6 words. Such behavior is unacceptable in a cultural society, and even more so in the presence of children who repeat everything after adults.

11 Coffeemania Coffeemania Coffee is a very popular and beloved drink by many, but its frequent use can also be called a bad habit. Coffee is able to exacerbate hypertension, some gastrointestinal diseases, is absolutely unacceptable in most cardiovascular diseases and with damage to the retina. But all this is true only when coffee is clearly overdoing it. You definitely can’t drink coffee with alcohol and mixed with tobacco smoke. This is a big hit for the cardiovascular system. In general, as with any other meal, coffee should not be overdone. Everything is good in moderation.

10 lack of sleep Lack of sleep Sleep is a vital necessity. Its absence leads to serious health problems. Symptoms of lack of sleep can be: dark circles under the eyes, slight swelling of the face and loss of skin tone throughout the body, the occurrence of unjustified irritability, low concentration and distraction. There may also be a jump in blood pressure, a fast heartbeat, loss of appetite and stomach problems. A person completely loses an adequate reaction to what is happening around. The protective function of the body is weakened, a delayed reaction to external factors occurs, which provokes low productivity. Gastritis, stomach ulcer, hypertension, and sometimes even obesity - these are companions of those who are forced to stay awake for a long time.

9 Diets Diets The harm to diets lies in the fact that after sitting for some time on them, the body will restructure its work and slow down metabolism, and when a person starts eating again, fat is deposited not only where it was before, but also in new places, in organs, which harm them . It happens that a person goes on a diet without taking into account his health, than he harms his body. Due to the constant changes in the body, the functioning of the heart, joints and the immune system can suffer from our nutrition. Often, because of diets, spending money on foods and time on their preparation increases. In terms of psychological stress, diets are also very harmful. Possible suffering from failure, the associated feelings of guilt and shame, the pain inflicted by ridicule by colleagues and family, the feeling of weakness, inability to pull myself together. All this is difficult to experience and sometimes leads to depression to a greater extent than the very presence of excess weight and the associated inconvenience.

8 Uncontrolled use of drugs Uncontrolled use of drugs More than 30 thousand people die of various resistant diseases every year. The unreasonable use of antibiotics leads to an increase in mortality, as the number of severe forms and complications of infectious diseases increases due to the developed resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials. In fact, antibiotics simply lose their effectiveness. For example, at the beginning of the antibiotic era, a steptococcal infection was treated with penicillin. And now streptococci have an enzyme that decomposes penicillin. If earlier it was possible to get rid of some diseases with a single injection, now a long course of treatment is required. Disease resistance to antibiotics is due to the fact that these drugs are affordable and cheap, sold over the counter. Therefore, many people buy antibiotics and take them for any infection.

Many interrupt the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor immediately after the symptoms are removed, and those microorganisms that have become resistant to these antibiotics remain in the body. These germs will multiply rapidly and pass on their antibiotic resistance genes. Another negative side of the uncontrolled use of antibiotics is the rampant growth of fungal infections. Since drugs suppress the body’s natural microflora, those infections that our immunity had previously not allowed to multiply begin to rampage. 7 Internet addiction and computer games Internet addiction and computer games Computer addiction is a broad term for a large number of behavioral and drive control problems. The main types that were identified in the research process are characterized as follows: an irresistible attraction to visit porn sites and engage in cybersex, addiction to virtual acquaintances and redundancy of acquaintances and friends on the Web, playing online gambling and constant purchases or participating in auctions, endless travels on the web in search of information, an obsessive game of computer games.Gambling may seem like a bad habit for adolescents, but it is not. Adults are equally affected. Network reality allows you to simulate a creative state due to the limitless possibilities of searching and making discoveries. And most importantly, surfing the net gives you the feeling of being in a “stream” - complete immersion in action, turning off from external reality with the feeling of being in another world, another time, another dimension. Since there is no official diagnosis of computer addiction, the criteria for its treatment have not yet been sufficiently developed.6 Gambling gambling addiction This disease is associated with addiction to all kinds of gambling, such as casinos, slot machines, cards and interactive games. Gambling can manifest itself as a disease and, which happens much more often, as one of the symptoms of another mental illness: depression, manic states, even schizophrenia. The main symptoms of gambling addiction are an obsessive desire to constantly play. It is impossible to distract a person from the game, more often than not he forgets to eat elementary, becomes closed. The circle of communication is sharply reduced, and changes almost completely, and human behavior is changing, moreover, not for the better. Often there are all kinds of mental disorders. Usually, initially a person experiences a sensation of an upsurge of strength, later they are replaced by terrible depression and decadent moods. The disease of gambling, as well as other diseases, is treatable. Although getting rid of it is incredibly difficult. This may take even years. After all, gambling has a similar psychological nature to smoking.5 promiscuous sex life Promiscuous sex life Some men and women are not at all ashamed of having a sex life, so they, by all means, try to get sensual pleasure, having sex with different partners. One researcher, studying the sexuality of adolescents, noted that in personal conversations with many adolescents who have an erratic sex life, it turned out that, in their opinion, they live without a goal and are not very happy with themselves. In addition, he found that promiscuous young people suffer from “self-doubt and lack of self-esteem” the next morning. Often, those who have entered into an unlawful sexual relationship change their relationship to each other. The young man may find that his feelings for the girl are somewhat cooler and she is not even as attractive as he thought. In turn, a girl may have a feeling that she was treated as a thing.Promiscuous sex life is often the cause of sexually transmitted diseases. The vast majority of patients become infected as a result of their own sexual licentiousness, entering into casual sexual relations, promiscuous sexual life, that is, in violation of the established norms of socialist morality. As a rule, a person prone to premarital and extramarital sex, is not demanding of himself in other respects: he abuses alcohol, is selfish, is indifferent to the fate of his relatives and to the work performed.4 Malnutrition and gluttony Malnutrition and gluttony For many people, overeating is a real problem. In severe food dependence, the advice of a nutritionist is sometimes not enough, the support of a psychologist, the supervision of a therapist, an endocrinologist and other specialists are required. The causes of overeating are often difficult to identify and diagnose. Overeating leads to the fact that all organs and systems are overstrained. This leads to their wear and provokes the development of various diseases. Overeating and gluttony always turns into problems of the gastrointestinal tract. Overeating inevitably affects the condition of the skin, on which acne, blackheads appear. Needless to say, the overeating person is useless not only for those around him, but also for himself. As a result, the desire to move, to talk disappears. There can be no talk of any sport. I just want to go to bed and nothing more. 3 Smoking Smoking Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health. However, every smoker thinks that the consequences of smoking will not affect him, and he lives today, not thinking about the diseases that will inevitably appear in him in 10-20 years. It is known that sooner or later you will have to pay for each bad habit with your health. Smoking is associated with up to 90% of mortality from lung cancer, 75% of bronchitis and 25% of coronary heart disease among men under 65 years of age. Smoking or passive inhalation of tobacco smoke can cause infertility in women. Atrophy and destruction of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord with multiple sclerosis is more pronounced in patients who smoked at least 6 months during their life compared to never smoked patients.Tobacco addiction can be either psychological or physical. With psychological dependence, a person reaches for a cigarette when he is in a smoking company, or in a state of stress, nervous tension, to stimulate mental activity. With physical dependence, the body’s demand for a nicotine dose is so strong that the smoker’s attention is focused on finding a cigarette; the idea of smoking becomes so obsessive that most other needs go by the wayside. It becomes impossible to concentrate on anything other than a cigarette; apathy and unwillingness to do something may occur.2 Alcohol Alcohol Alcohol is present in almost every person’s life. Someone drinks only on holidays, someone likes to relax with a drink of alcohol on the weekend, and someone abuses the alcoholic constantly. Under the influence of ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages, everything collapses, primarily the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Weak muscles, blood clots in the vessels, diabetes, a shrunken brain, a swollen liver, weakened kidneys, impotence, depression, a stomach ulcer are just a partial list of what you can get from regular beer consumption or something stronger. Any portion of alcohol is a blow to the intellect, to health, to the future.A bottle of vodka drunk in an hour can kill you on the spot, in the literal sense. Next time, before you drink 100 grams, imagine your body dying slowly under the influence of ethanol while you have fun. Imagine that your cells are slowly suffocating, that the brain, saving itself, blocks a lot of brain centers, because of which there is incoherent speech, violation of spatial sensation, impaired coordination of movements and memory lapses. Imagine how your blood thickens, forms deadly blood clots, how the blood sugar level goes off scale, how the brain structures responsible for intelligence and quickness die, how alcohol burns through the walls of the stomach, forming non-healing ulcers.1 Drugs Drugs The use of drugs leads to severe violations, primarily the mental and physical functions of the body. In modern society, few people do not know about the dangers of drugs, but, despite this, they still attract people, becoming destructive for many. People who use drugs have insomnia, dry mucous membranes, nasal congestion, trembling hands, and the pupils become unusually wide, not responding to changes in the brightness of the eyes.A drug is poison, it slowly destroys the human brain, its psyche. They either die from a broken heart, or because their nasal septum becomes thinner, which leads to fatal bleeding. When using, for example, LSD, a person loses the ability to navigate in space, he has a feeling that he is able to fly and, having believed in his abilities, jumps from the top floor. All addicts do not live long, regardless of the type of drug used. They lose the instinct of self-preservation, which leads to the fact that about 60% of drug addicts, during the first two years after becoming familiar with drugs, attempt suicide. Many of them succeed.

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itsfinancethings · 5 years ago

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October 24, 2019 at 08:08AM

Robert Chelsea turned down the first face he was offered. It was a fine face, one that could have taken him off the transplant waiting list after just a couple months. But -Chelsea—severely disfigured after a catastrophic car accident five years -earlier—was in no hurry. He’d gotten used to tilting his head back so food and water wouldn’t fall out of his nearly lipless mouth. He knew how to respond compassionately to children who stared in shock and fear. The face, offered in May 2018, had belonged to a man with skin that was much fairer than what remained of -Chelsea’s—so light that Chelsea, who is African American, couldn’t bear the thought of becoming “a totally different–looking person.”

Chelsea’s doctors understood his hesitance. Face transplants in general are rare. Since the first partial one was performed in France in 2005, fewer than 50 have been completed worldwide. A new patient joining the ranks is always noteworthy, but Chelsea’s case carries even more weight than usual. Because he is the first African American to receive a full face transplant, Chelsea’s treatment is expected to have ripple effects that transcend his case. Disparities in the medical system that cause black Americans to die at higher rates than whites of so many things—like heart disease, cancer diabetes and HIV/AIDS—have also produced gaps in organ donation and transplantation. Widespread mistrust of the medical system has made many African Americans wary of tissue donation, contributing to donor shortages; in turn, only 17% of black patients awaiting an organ transplant got one in 2015, compared with about 30% of white patients.

Chelsea’s accidental role as the literal and figurative face of black organ transplantation is likely to help chip away at those disparities. “Having a visible, tangible reference, especially for African Americans … is so needed,” says Marion Shuck, president of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT). Sharing personal experiences publicly, Shuck says, could inspire potential donors with a clear example of a transplant’s positive impact. Though facial donation is rare, Chelsea’s story could encourage black Americans, and their families, to donate kidneys, livers or lungs, saving lives and reducing wait times across the country.

It took more than a year for Chelsea to get a second call—the one that would land him in a bed at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, receiving a new face that was a near -perfect skin-color match, and that made him both the first African American to undergo a face transplant and, at 68, the oldest recipient ever. “Morning by morning, new versions [of me] unfold,” Chelsea said on the day he was discharged from the hospital in August, nearly a month after surgery. “[But] I feel like myself.”

John Francis Peters for TIMERobert Chelsea shops for groceries at a local market near a friend’s apartment where he was temporarily staying in Los Angeles in February 2019

Chelsea was having car trouble one Monday night in August 2013, so he pulled onto the shoulder of a highway outside his home near Long Beach, Calif. Soon after, a drunk driver slammed into his car, and it burst into flames. Chelsea, a sales manager for a rubber-stamp business, was rushed to a hospital with third–degree burns covering almost half his body.

After being transferred to the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Chelsea spent four months drifting in and out of consciousness as doctors fought to save his life. He had 18 surgeries in that time—-mostly skin grafting for his burns, but also abdominal operations to treat serious gastrointestinal complications that had developed as his body struggled to stay alive. Blood–pressure medications shunted blood flow to his heart and away from his extremities, leading to tissue death in his lips, nose and fingers. One of his surgeons, Dr. Victor Joe, called him “one of the sickest patients we’ve had.”

Chelsea left UC Irvine in December 2013 with his life—but by the end of his recovery he would lose his lips, the end of his nose, several fingertips and two-thirds of his intestines. His face was severely scarred, and his hands were covered in cadaver skin that matched Chelsea’s skin tone but never quite mimicked its texture; Chelsea called it his “snakeskin.” All told, he would eventually carry the skin of three different people. An organ donor himself before the accident, he had no idea how difficult replacing his skin would prove to be.

The barriers went up long before Chelsea was born. In 1932, researchers from the U.S. Public Health Service launched a study at -Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute that would change the American medical system for decades to come. The trial was covertly designed for researchers to observe the effects of untreated syphilis over the course of four decades. Six hundred black men, mostly share-croppers, enrolled in the trial, lured by the promise of free transportation-, meals and medical care. About two-thirds of the men had syphilis, and half were given the then standard treatment of arsenic and mercury. The other -infected men were given no treatment at all—even after penicillin was discovered to be an effective syphilis therapy in the 1940s. They were left to die; pass the disease on to partners and children; or develop complications like heart failure, mental instability and blindness.

John Francis Peters for TIMEChelsea with his daughter Ebony at home in California in February 2019, months before his transplant surgery

When the Associated Press exposed the study in 1972, public outcry was immediate. Survivors and the families of deceased patients won roughly $10 million in a 1974 settlement. Two decades later, in 1997, President Bill Clinton apologized for Tuskegee, calling it “deeply, profoundly, morally wrong.” But the wound was deep, and it would scar. “African Americans still do not believe the health care profession will take care of them,” Shuck says.

That mistrust wasn’t built on Tuskegee alone. In the 1800s, enslaved people were commonly drafted as unwilling, unanesthetized subjects for medical experiments, and their deceased bodies were frequently dissected. Even after slavery was abolished, black patients were often turned away by white doctors and hospitals. When they did get treatment, it wasn’t always ethical. Henrietta Lacks famously had her fast–replicating, cancerous cervical tissue taken without consent in 1951; the cells eventually became a lucrative cornerstone of medical research, kick-starting a decades-long debate over informed consent and who profits from scientific advancement. Such incidents, and numerous others like them, still loom large, especially in a world where many physicians, according to one 2017 research review, implicitly favor white patients. “The whole medical system follows along with the racism that the country was built upon,” says Dr. Vanessa Grubbs, a nephrologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Famous historical examples mix with families’ more contemporary, personal stories of mistreatment, leaving many African Americans skittish of doctors, says Dr. Damon Tweedy, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine and the author of Black Man in a White Coat. “There’s some remnant of that that you internalize,” he says. Though he’s black himself, Tweedy says patients have asked if his hospital is “experimenting” on them or using them as “guinea pigs.”

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that many African Americans are hesitant to volunteer for medical -studies—often an important first step in developing effective treatments. A ProPublica analysis of Food and Drug Administration data found that in many trials for drugs approved from 2015 to 2018, less than 10% of research participants were black. (The research community is working to close such gaps through initiatives like the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us trial, a million–person study trying to recruit under-researched populations.) As a result, doctors today know far more about white bodies than about black bodies, even though black Americans report higher rates of conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many cancers—largely because of centuries of structural inequities that have, among other consequences, left more than 10% of black Americans without health insurance compared with about 6% of whites, and 21% of black households without secure access to quality food compared with less than 10% of white households.

Understanding that complicated history is crucial to understanding the state of organ transplantation in the U.S. today. Black patients, on average, face longer waits for major organs like kidneys, lungs and hearts than white patients, meaning more may die before they get the surgeries they need. That’s in part because African Americans, who make up about 13% of the U.S. population, account for roughly 30% of the transplant waiting list, according to federal data. By contrast, about 65% of deceased donors are white, and white Americans make up only about 40% of the waiting list.

Higher rates of chronic disease among African Americans mean both that a disproportionate number need transplants, and that fewer have living family members healthy enough to donate organs like kidneys and livers. Even if they do, Shuck says, “we don’t want to ask our family because we don’t want to put them at risk, so we languish longer.”

Religious and philosophical beliefs may also play a role, says Dr. Charles Bratton, a transplant surgeon at Loma Linda University Health who has studied donation disparities. Jehovah’s Witnesses, 27% of whom are black in the U.S., do not accept blood transfusions, which can also dissuade them from being involved with organ transplants. Members of some religions that believe in resurrection, like Southern Baptists, may also want their bodies to be whole when they die, even though most religions allow organ donation. Finally, people in the U.S., unlike those in some European countries, have to actively opt in to organ donation rather than opting out, further depressing donation rates. All told, according to the most recent federal survey on attitudes toward organ donation, only 39% of black Americans’ driver’s licenses marked them as organ donors, compared with almost 65% of white Americans.

J. Kiely Jr.—Lightchaser Photography“I’m more excited than nervous,” Chelsea says on the day of his face-transplant surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in July 2019

“Do you see the way they look at me? It’s cute. They’re curious,” Chelsea said the first time we met, in November 2018, months before his surgery. He’d told me to drive straight from the airport to his gym in Victorville, Calif.—it was Monday, and he always worked out on Mondays. From there, we went on an errand to Metro-PCS, then to pick up tacos for lunch. People stared, but Chelsea was good–natured about it. “I don’t blame them,” he said. “It’s scary. It’s like I’m wearing a Halloween mask.”

Five years after his accident, Chelsea insisted that his appearance didn’t bother him, in large part thanks to the deep-seated Christian faith that helped him through his recovery. He also joked that he was “no knockout looker” before the accident, though friends and family remember it differently. His acceptance was so unflinching, in fact, that when Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, director of plastic–surgery -transplantation at Brigham Health, first approved him for a face transplant, Chelsea wasn’t sure he wanted one at all.

Chelsea’s attitude was exceptional. Losing one’s face—a person’s introduction to the world—is psychologically scarring for most who experience it. Face–transplant recipients are required to undergo extensive counseling to ensure they’re prepared to accept their new appearance. It can be especially difficult when one’s racial identity is also at stake. While a black patient awaiting a kidney or heart doesn’t need a black donor, a complexion match is considered crucial for visible transplants, to preserve as much of one’s identity as possible.

Physical appearance is far from the only determinant of racial identity, but it’s certainly a factor, says Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, a professor at North Carolina State University who studies the topic but has not worked with Chelsea. Accepting a face from a donor with a much lighter skin tone could present a nuanced set of emotions, she says, since black identity exists across a spectrum of colors, hair textures and facial features. A drastic change in appearance can unmoor someone from his or her identity, potentially resulting in psychological trauma, she says. Dr. Sheila Jowsey-Gregoire, a transplant psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic who has not worked with Chelsea, says that while most face–transplant patients have done the hard work of accepting that they’ll never look exactly like they once did, altering their racial identity could lead to unforeseen negative consequences.

The need for a precise color match further shrinks an already small pool of potential donors: in the federal survey on organ donation, only about 41% of black respondents said they’d be at least “somewhat” willing to donate a face, vs. about 61% of Caucasian respondents. Even Chelsea, who is largely un-interested in the superficial aspects of appearance, balked at the prospect of accepting a face so much lighter than the one he knew.

Tony Luong for TIME Robert Chelsea leaves the hospital after being dispatched in August 2019

It wasn’t just the possibility of a stranger in the mirror that gave Chelsea pause. Organ-transplant patients need to take immune–system–suppression drugs for the rest of their lives to keep their bodies from rejecting their donor organs. His health had been stable in the years after his recovery from the accident, and the transplant would take him back to a world of constant doctor’s appointments and medications. And while Chelsea’s surgery would be performed for free, thanks to a grant Brigham and Women’s received from the Department of Defense to test a less cumbersome post-transplant immune–suppression regimen-, his family would still have to pay some travel and caretaker expenses associated with the surgery. When NYU Langone last year performed the first face transplant covered by commercial insurance, the hospital estimated it would have cost about $1.5 million out of pocket. Even without taking on any of those costs, Chelsea’s family had to launch a GoFundMe to pay for miscellaneous expenses, raising more than $75,000. Even more conventional transplants can be expensive. Tweedy says the financial burden of becoming a living donor and recovering from an invasive surgery, which often requires time off from work, discourages lower-income -patients-—who tend to be disproportionately of color—from participating in transplants.

Chelsea’s 30-year-old daughter Ebony was even more concerned than her father. Seeing him in critical condition after his accident was like “going to a movie theater and watching the scariest movie that they had out, and you replayed it over and over and over,” she says. “You went through all that, and all of a sudden you want to go over here and [have another procedure]? Any surgery has complications.”

But Chelsea ultimately wanted to eat and drink normally, to spit, to swallow a pill, to close his mouth—and, most of all, he said, to kiss Ebony on the cheek. Eventually he decided those promises outweighed the risks.

It took a while, he says, to recognize the significance of becoming the first African–American face-transplant recipient. When the realization came, it was tinged with discomfort. “There is a degree of pride, admittedly, and yet I’m not sure that it’s something to be proud of,” Chelsea said about six months before his surgery. “To celebrate an individual because they haven’t done anything any more than anybody else, they just happened to be there at the right time … there’s nothing holy about those actions.” Still, Chelsea could recognize that the surgery came with a higher purpose: providing a positive example of how transplantation can change lives, especially for black Americans. “We are a lot more hesitant to be a donor,” he says. “It causes us to lose out when we need a kidney or a liver or a lung.”

John Francis Peters for TIMEChelsea consults with Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, the lead surgeon who performed his transplant, at Brigham and Women’s in October 2019

Chelsea’s surgeon was undaunted by the year-plus search for a donor, even after coming so close with the first face last spring. “All it takes is one. Sooner or later you will find one,” Pomahac said about six months before ultimately finding the donor face that would become Chelsea’s. Last year, less than 7% of the organs procured in overwhelmingly white New England, where Brigham and Women’s is located, came from African–American donors. While Pomahac and his team could theoretically accept a donor organ from any region, the hospital’s policy dictates that travel to the donor site cannot exceed four hours, in part to preserve the function of the organ. To look outside New -England—as Pomahac and his team eventually did—would require finding a location within easy flying distance of Boston.

Chelsea never second-guessed his decision to turn down that first face—but he also couldn’t have guessed how long the search would drag on. He and Pomahac had used a 1-to-18 scale to discuss potential donors’ -complexions—1 being the lightest—on which Pomahac says Chelsea is a 15 or 16. They originally looked for donors falling from 8 to 16 but, after months of no luck, Chelsea eventually agreed to consider donors as light as 5. Even that didn’t work.

Then, this spring, Pomahac encouraged Chelsea to consider a full facial transplant instead of the partial one they’d planned to replace just the lower portion of his face. Pomahac was mostly focused on cosmetics, but Chelsea and his family hoped the decision would also speed up the search process by eliminating the need to blend exactly with Chelsea’s surviving skin, making imperfect matches less obvious. Chelsea agreed to the full -transplant—and finally, more than a year after he joined the transplant waiting list, he got the call in July. His doctors had found a match with a near identical skin tone. He had 24 hours to make the biggest decision of his life, based only on descriptions of the donor’s complexion, age and medical risk factors, then fly from Los -Angeles to Boston for the surgery. “I had to believe,” he said that day. “I was just hoping that it was a legit call.”

In another state, another man had just received a very different phone call. Shortly after learning that his 62-year-old brother had died suddenly, James, 51, was approached by the Gift of Life Donor Program about donating his brother Adrian’s internal organs—and his face. James didn’t know his brother’s wishes but was staunchly in favor of organ donation himself after serving in the Air Force, where he says the practice was valued. He knew that Adrian—a talented athlete and guitarist who loved to play Hendrix, worked in construction and was always “ready to light up a room”—would want to help someone else. “He would give the shirt off his back for -anybody,” James says. After calls to his five other siblings, James decided to move forward with donation, comforted by the fact that part of his older brother would be “still here and on this earth, [so] he lives on.” He had no idea that his brother’s would be the first African–American face ever to be transplanted.

To Chelsea, the face he would receive was anonymous. But the loss another family had to suffer to give him a new beginning was the only subject that made him grow somber in the chaotic hours before surgery.

“Losing a loved one and being asked something like this … I can’t imagine,” he said. “I do feel hopeful that I can pick up some of the pieces that the family may have lost.”

John Francis Peters for TIMEIn the weeks after surgery, Chelsea’s doctors at Brigham and Women’s said his recovery was unusually smooth

Those 24 hours began a well–rehearsed dance of more than 45 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pharmacists, research fellows, social workers and a chaplain. Pomahac, who with his team had performed eight previous face transplants, boarded a plane with three other doctors to get Adrian’s face, which they carefully removed and placed on ice. In Boston, the Brigham and Women’s staff prepped Chelsea for surgery, exposing the nerves and vessels that would soon be attached to the donor’s tissues using hair-thin sutures so tiny that Pomahac had to sew them under a microscope.

When Chelsea emerged from the 16-hour surgery, his godson, Everick Brown, could focus on only one thing. “I was like, ‘Look at those juicy lips,’” Brown laughed. “‘He’s going to be happy.’” Even in the early hours of Chelsea’s recovery, before the swelling had gone down, Brown could tell Pomahac and his team had done a good job. Aside from his lips, Brown said, his godfather looked shockingly similar to the way he did before. “It was a joy,” Brown said. “It’s the first time I’ve used the word miracle.”

By the second day post-op, Chelsea’s heaviest pain medication was Tylenol. Within 10 days, he was eating, talking and breathing on his own—and though Pomahac says the nerve-rich lips never regain full function after a transplant, Chelsea’s dream of kissing his daughter on the cheek is within reach.

It’s not only Chelsea’s life that will change. Tweedy says stories like his can help rebuild trust with the medical system. “Sharing,” he says, “can go a long way to healing.” Research bears that out: a 2013 study on encouraging organ donation found that successful approaches typically “comprise a strong interpersonal element that focused on the particular population’s concerns, delivered by members of the local community.” A number of awareness days and weeks—including National -Minority Donor Awareness Week in August—are meant to boost donation rates, as are initiatives like the United Network for Organ Sharing’s ambassador program, which encourages donors, recipients and those on the waiting list to speak publicly about their experiences. James recently decided to take on the role informally, after learning of the historical significance of his brother’s donation. “I think it’d be a dis-service to stay anonymous,” he says.“Hopefully this story can put that in a light for others to donate.” Changes meant to bring medical equality are also taking root more broadly. A growing number of medical schools, for example, are waiving tuition to attract a more diverse pool of doctors in training, among other goals.

Before his surgery, Chelsea began establishing Donor’s Dream, a nonprofit meant to encourage and provide information about organ donation. Even in the grueling weeks after surgery, as the swelling came down, his speech and vision improved and his new skin started to glow and sprout hair, he felt that the experience was bigger than him—one that would evolve into a future he couldn’t yet imagine.

“I was concerned about humanity way before this surgery,” he said about 10 weeks after the operation, after moving into a temporary apartment in Boston, where he would complete weeks of follow-up care. “We must help one another. That’s the way I felt, and this experience has only validated that even more.”

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Medical expenses have skyrocketed. This has happened due to the state of the art technology and health facilities provided by various hospitals in India. Medical expertise doesn’t come cheap as well. The medical cost easily fluctuates from Rs. 2,00,000 to Rs. 5,00,000, and even more.

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Medical Loan in India

Majority of salaried individuals in India do not receive a medical insurance from their employers. Many of us don’t feel the need to get medically insured at an age where we feel we are hale and hearty. What’s the point of medical insurance? Many of us think, “Why should we spend a part of our monthly savings on a medical insurance?” That cash can be spent elsewhere.

When going for a medical insurance, the applicant’s age, health history, past diseases and present medical condition is taken into account. That does not happen for a medical personal loan. Another issue cropping up is the extent of coverage offered for terminal illnesses such as cancer. Midway through the treatment, the medical insurance cover could run out.

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Many of us are salaried and have never given a serious thought to medical expenses or an emergency fund. We know life is unpredictable, there are highs and lows. High is when we see our career and personal life get a green day, and low is when we are struck with ailment or an accident that hampers our chances of reaching our life’s goals.

A financial cocoon is therefore needed in order to help us get out of tricky medical emergency situations. A medical loan falls under the category of a personal loan. They can be availed for obvious medical contingencies such as health scares, medical needs, surgery procedures, therapy or any other grave health concerns.

Being an unsecured type of loan makes a medical loan apt for emergency situations. Not everyone can afford a really solid health insurance plan which will protect you from all possible medical uncertainties. Medical expenses may include anything from medical prescription bills to hospitalization bills.

A work hard, party harder lifestyle might seem full of bliss, but a sudden health scare can knock your carefree attitude into oblivion. We all are working so hard in our professional lives trying to reach new heights in our career. We are working non-stop, looking at different opportunities in life where we can excel and do our best. We are engrossed in so much that is happening in our lives, that we turn a blind eye towards health – both ours and that of our loved ones.

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7 Expensive Medical Procedures

A medical emergency need not be for a short-term ailment. Expensive medical treatments in India include transplants and other aggravating ailments. Let’s look at 7 such expensive treatments in India wherein the expenses range from Rs. 2,00,000 to Rs. 5,00,000.

Intestine Transplant

The transplant of the intestine is performed to replace the dead intestinal tissue, with live tissue from the donor. The intestinal tissue gets affected either due to the growth of a tumor or due to an ailment directly affecting it. Intestinal diseases are at times accompanied by liver failure. They are also performed in conjunction with a liver transplant. This can increase your medical expenses bill even further.

Heart Transplant

Heart transplants are complex surgical procedures. The preparation for the transplant is lengthy thanks to its complications. This also makes it an expensive treatment with only specialized doctors capable of performing a heart transplant. The expensive procurement of the organ also adds to the expense.

Bone Marrow Transplant

Bone marrow transplants are performed with a donor’s marrow being planted over an affected marrow. Finding a donor for the bone marrow transplant can lead to delay in the procedure. The complications that arise are also common. The risky nature, lengthy preparation time and extensive recovery period make the bone marrow transplant massively expensive treatment.

Lung Transplant

For patients who are suffering from lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis or emphysema, a lung transplant is possibly the last resort. The waiting list here is again long, with the availability of the organ sometimes proving difficult. The lengthy period of stay at hospitals, make the expenses list longer.

Open Heart Surgery

Heart diseases are common and thus, an open-heart surgery becomes a common procedure to perform at leading hospitals across India. It is considered an expensive medical procedure because often times it is an urgent surgery to perform. A lot of post-surgery complications, care and follow-up make it an expensive procedure to recover from.

Retina Surgery

When it comes to the retina, the skill set and equipment needed are top notch. When lesions on the retina of the eyes are removed (also known as retinoblastoma), the risks are great. The lengthy recovery period and expensive follow-up makes this feature on the expensive procedures list.

Tracheotomy, Pancreas & Kidney Transplant

Transplants of the pancreas and kidney are expensive due to the risk, recovery and preparation. A pancreatic transplant is performed in case of the patient’s renal failure, whereas a kidney transplant is performed to replace an ill-functioning kidney. A tracheotomy happens above over the neck, allowing patients to breathe either temporarily or permanently. The after-care bills are high with regards to tracheotomy.

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Medical Loan From Loan Singh

The unsecured aspect of a medical loan in itself makes it a potent financial solution in dire straits. Suppose you remove the offline paperwork, delayed verification, repeated trips to the bank and delayed approval, from the medical loan availing process.

And then you turn the process online, with only 3 documents (to be uploaded), an approximately 10-minute application process and doing all this from the confines of home. These features, my friends, make an online medical loan even faster to avail.

An online medical personal loan is a fantastic option during times of medical duress. Sometimes, your savings might not cover an expensive medical procedure or a prolonged treatment. You might sometimes need to supplement your emergency fund with a shot of cash from other sources.

You might sell your hard-earned property or break some investments, and if all this does not work, then you might think about applying for an online medical personal loan. It is true that a number of traditional lending institutions provide medical loans. But, isn’t an emergency medical loan synonymous with quick, instant and less paperwork?

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The doctors might need you to pay the cash up-front or pay each day as the treatment goes. In such cases, applying for a medical loan through manual applications and waiting for a long overdue approval makes no sense.

In India, health insurance is definitely popular, compared to an online medical loan. This is simply because we have fit this point inside our mind, that a medical insurance is actually cheaper, but that is not the case. A medical loan can be availed and then paid to a doctor/medical institution upfront. This obviously makes a medical loan scalable for a number of health ailments.

So, what’s the best source of emergency medical funds during accidents? How can you pay the doctor’s fee towards lengthy treatment? How to apply for an instant medical loan? Are there any online medical loan providers in India? The answer to these questions is…Loan Singh.

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Medical Loan Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for an online medical loan with Loan Singh are:

Salaried (receiving a monthly salary directly into your bank account)

Indian and above 21 years of age

A credit-worthy repayment history

No collateral needed

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Benefits of Online Medical Loan

The benefits of applying for an online medical personal loan are the same as that of applying for an unsecured personal loan online. And because you can apply for it online, you have the freedom for applying for it from the confines of your home, hospital lobby, outside the doctor’s consultation room or the operation theatre. Its benefits include:

A medical loan is affordable

You get an instant loan pre-approval

There is no security deposit

There is no collateral involved

You pay easy EMI repayments

The application process is fully online

About Loan Singh

Loan Singh is a digital lending platform that prides in providing online personal finance loan or unsecured personal loan to salaried individuals. You can apply for quick funds as an easy emergency loan which is not a bank loan. We provide a loan with the best personal loan interest rates. The instant funds, or instant loans, are loans between Rs. 50,000 and Rs.10,00,000 taken for purposes such as:

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You can calculate your easy EMIs using our personal loan EMI calculator. We accept bank statement and PAN, for quick loan approval. A bad credit score or credit report errors can lead to personal loan rejection. The ‘Loan Singh Finance Blog’ is one of the best finance blogs in India. Loan Singh is a product of Seynse Technologies Pvt Ltd, which is one of the pioneering personal loan companies in India and is a partner to the Airtel Online Store.

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