The National Plaintiffs’ Law Firm Parker Waichman LLP Helps You Maximize Your Financial Compensation
People who have ulcerative colitis and require surgery, and their physicians, should be aware that the results from a recent study prove that administering corticosteroid treatment before surgery to reduce swelling may induce significant side effects such as clotting and sepsis. Gastroenterologists refer to the particular operation as pouch surgery in which the problems with corticosteroids emerged. Post-operative blood clotting and sepsis are potentially life-threatening medical conditions which require emergent medical treatment, intense courses of medications, and high doses of antibiotics to treat successfully. The failure to warn on behalf of the steroid manufacturers to include this possible side effect could make them liable for the wrongful death or severe illness of a colitis patient who took pre-operative corticosteroids.
If you or a beloved family member developed post-operative difficulties with sepsis or blood clotting and your doctor prescribed a corticosteroid, you could be entitled to receive financial compensation for your loss. Our clients who suffered an injury or other loss at the hands of a medical device company who failed to protect its patients feel like courts and governments should impose significant sanctions on companies who manufacture defective products. Our attorneys felt that the best way to help a person and their family is to pursue the maximum amount of monetary compensation authorized by law. Our clients have felt like their voices were heard and they received a measure of justice knowing that the offending company is responsible for paying large sums of money to injured persons and their families.
What is a Corticosteroid?
Corticosteroids are hormones naturally made by the adrenal glands in a person. Doctors prescribe synthetic corticosteroids to treat a host of medical conditions when the patient’s adrenal glands cannot produce enough natural corticosteroids. Glucocorticoids, produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland, have an anti-inflammatory effect, boost the immune system, and assist with the digestion of fats, carbohydrates, and protein.
Doctors prescribe synthetic corticosteroids to assist the adrenal glands. However, when doctors prescribe a steroid treatment, the dose is much larger than what would normally be considered a replacement dose. Instead, doctors prescribe corticosteroids like prednisone, prednisolone, and other variations of the drug to combat breathing problems like asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and may be used anytime that swelling is present.
Inflammation is the primary symptom of ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the rectum and colon and is different from Crohn’s disease. With Ulcerative colitis, the swelling grows within the intestine’s inner walls. About 700,000 people in the United States have Ulcerative colitis, with symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and an array of other symptoms that vary from person to person. Each case is different. The symptoms range from mild to severe.
Treatments vary among patients as well. Some patients might require surgery. The potentially lethal side effects of sepsis and clotting while using corticosteroids emerged during a surgical procedure called ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA).
IPAA is typically a multi-stage surgical procedure. However, gastroenterologists have been able to perform IPAA surgery in one stage with the assistance of administering corticosteroids to the patient to reduce inflammation before the surgery. Reducing inflammation helps the patient recover faster. However, researchers now believe that a course of corticosteroids is responsible for the adverse side effects patients experienced after the single-stage IPAA procedure.
The extensive study conducted by Canadian researchers suggests that people who need the IPAA surgery should have it done in two stages. Analysis of single-stage IPAA patients revealed that the patients who used the steroids within 30 days of the procedure are much more likely to develop sepsis in the ileal pouch as well as venous and pulmonary thrombosis, also known as blood clots.
Sepsis and thrombosis are life-threatening medical conditions. Sepsis occurs when chemicals or poisons, and in the case of IPAA surgery, fecal matter, enters the bloodstream. The body’s organs respond by becoming inflamed, and the organs begin to change structurally. Organs can start to shut down, causing the body to go into a state of septic shock, which could ultimately result in death.
Thrombosis is a medical diagnosis indicating blood clots formed which may prevent the adequate flow of blood to the body. For example, a pulmonary embolism is a form of thrombosis identified as a blood clot in the lungs. Deep vein thrombosis is another common blood clotting problem. Deep vein thrombosis may be present when a person feels pain in a body part, such as a leg, and the area feels warm to the touch. Blood clots can stop blood flow and cause death other serious medical condition.
Surgeons recognize that their patients must be steroid free for at least 60 days before performing the pouch surgery. Otherwise, they take the chance of having their patients suffer life-altering or life-ending consequences.
Can I File a Corticosteroid Lawsuit?
You have the appropriate grounds for filing a lawsuit if you suffered a physical injury after having IPAA surgery if you took corticosteroids and neither your surgeon nor the corticosteroid manufacturer warned you about the possible side effects you might experience. Therefore you might have a legal claim that lies in medical malpractice as well as a claim against the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Your physician owes you a duty of care to warn you about the possible side effects of every medical procedure you undergo and every medicine you take. Failing to uphold that duty can result in legal liability for damages if the failure caused further illness or injury. Similarly, the drug maker can be liable for damages if the company failed to warn consumers of the potential for a patient to experience side effects.
How much you claim is worth depends on several variables. The variables that determine the value of your claim include:
- The cost of your medical expenses,
- The amount of money lost in wages and missed economic advancements,
- Your future medical expenses,
- Your life expectancy,
- The diminishing quality of life post-surgery vis-à-vis before the operation, and
- Your emotional pain and suffering along with your physical pain and suffering.
Parker Waichman LLP’s experienced malpractice lawyers and products liability attorneys will take the time to evaluate all of the variables in your life to reach the accurate measure of damages that will make you and your family whole again. Parker Waichman LLP’s attorneys have extensive experience and knowledge evaluating claims and arriving at a figure which is the monetary expression of justice for their clients who are victims of malpractice and defective medical products.
How to File a Lawsuit
Filing a lawsuit is as simple as calling our firm, and we will take the reins from there. Our lawyers are highly trained in thoroughly investigating our clients’ damage claims. We commence our investigation by talking with you, and your family if it will help, and learning all of the facts surrounding your injury. From there, we will get your medical records, evidence of lost wages, and any other pieces of information that will assist us in developing your claim. Additionally, we will seek out the best, most reputable expert witnesses in the relevant fields of medicine, drug manufacturing, biochemistry, actuaries, and economists to learn on a scientific level why you suffered an injury, what the precise nature of your physical damages are, the duration of the injury, and how the injury will affect your life from a financial perspective.
Meanwhile, we ask you to remain involved in your case, but you do not have to do anything. Once you initiate your case with Parker Waichman LLP, our lawyers and support staff will work diligently and compassionately on your case. We just ask that you concentrate on getting well. We will deal with the stress of the legal aspect of your injuries while you concern yourself with healing.
Our malpractice lawyers and medical defect attorneys will pursue every available avenue of financial recovery. We will seek out available insurance policies held by your doctor, if necessary, and the insurers as well as “re-insurers” of the drug maker. Finding insurance coverage is significant because winning a judgment is only a Pyrrhic victory if you never see a dime. That is why we make demands of settlement from every possible insurance company.
Our experienced medical malpractice and products liability litigation attorneys will file a lawsuit in court on your behalf if we are unable to settle your claim within the relevant statute of limitations. We will continue to negotiate and may enlist the services of a mediator to help resolve the case short of trial. In the meantime, our attorneys will be gearing up for trial and preparing to persuade a jury that you deserve substantial financial compensation for your losses.
Yes, You Do Need An Attorney
The idea of self-representation may be seductive. You might think that your case is so strong that you are simply wasting money on a lawyer. The statistics show that is not the case. We have learned that injured parties represented by counsel receive 35% more settlement money than people who are self-represented. Insurance defense attorneys might make you an offer to settle your case quickly. The attorney is doing his or her level best to represent their client: the insurance company by saving them money. You lose out in the long run. Our lawyers are skilled negotiators and litigators. They know the value of a claim and more importantly, understand the legal procedures to use in your favor to increase your settlement.
We never ask you for money out of pocket. We will represent you on a contingency fee basis. We do not ask for your costs of the litigation because we advance those to you. We collect them, along with our fee, at the end of the case when you receive your settlement or judgment funds. You will never spend a dime out of pocket with our firm.
Why Choose Parker Waichman LLP?
We know that many good lawyers in the legal marketplace are willing to take your case and promise you the best results. We try to distinguish ourselves from firms and allow our extraordinary track record of results speak for itself. We are delighted to say that our dedication and commitment to achieving justice for our clients has yielded tremendous results. To date, we have recovered over $ 2 Billion in damages for our clients.
Parker Waichman LLP has received numerous awards and accolades given to us by our peers— fellow lawyers who appreciate our vision, dedication to our clients, and recognize the good we have done for the people who trusted us to find justice for them.
The Time to File is Now
Your state’s statute of limitations restricts the time you have to file a claim for damages. Beware that if you miss that deadline, you can never recover compensation for your injuries. Do not delay! Most states allow only a small window of opportunity to pursue financial compensation for personal injuries. Your time might be limited to a year or two depending on your state. Act now before it is too late.
Call Parker Waichman LLP at 1-800-YOURLAWYER today to speak with one of our expert lawyers about your corticosteroid injury. We are available 24/7 to consult with you and review your case for free and without an obligation.
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