The case was filed by Johnnie Jackson, 47, against a Georgia hospital and several nurses after an alleged medical mistake involving an intravenous needle in his wrist, which was inserted incorrectly and allowed medications to infiltrate the surrounding tissue. The lawsuit alleged that a nurse who checked the IV hours later found that the site was painful and swollen, and removed the needle. However, nine hours allegedly passed before Jackson’s doctor checked on Jackson and found that the drugs had leaked into the rest of his hand, which ultimately resulted in several operations to save his hand. However, they were unable to save his thumb.

Only four days after a $350,000 cap on Georgia malpractice suit damages was struck down by the state supreme court, a Coffee County jury awarded Jackson $53,026 in medical expenses and $1.5 million for pain and suffering. If the cap had still been in place at the time of the award, Jackson’s recovery would have been limited to just over $400,000.

The Georgia medical malpractice damage cap was put in place by the state legislature in 2005. However, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously struck down the cap last month as being unconstitutional when it was challenged by a plaintiff who sued a plastic surgery office for disfiguring her face.

California was the first state to enact a damage cap in 1975, specifically limiting the non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuit. As of 2005, ten states had capped recoveries specifically on medical malpractice cases and another 22 had imposed caps on all injury suits, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Maclaren stroller recall was announced on Monday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after Maclaren USA, Inc. received at least 15 reports of children placing their finger in the stroller’s hinge. At least 12 children in the United States reportedly had parts of their fingertips amputated as the strollers were being opened or unfolded.

The recall includes all Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers, about one million units total. Models affected by the recall include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveler. The word “Maclaren” is printed on the strollers.

The strollers were sold at Babies ‘R’ Us, Target and other retailers throughout the United States for between $100 and #360 from 1999 to present.

Parents have been advised to immediately stop using the recalled strollers and to contact Maclaren USA for a free repair kit at www.maclaren.us/recall.

The complaint, filed last month by Jeanette and Allen Presley in Allen Superior Court of Indiana, charges Orthopaedics Northeast of failing to diagnose a blood clot on three separate occasions.

The orthopedic malpractice lawsuit follows a ruling by the Indiana Medical Review Panel stating that the firm failed to meet appropriate standards of care in treating Jeanette Presley, according to a report in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Presley alleges that in March 2006 she went to the orthopedic firm three times complaining of problems in her leg. Staff at Orthopaedics Northeast gave her knee injections and failed to diagnose that she had a blood clot in her leg.

In April 2006, Presley was admitted to the hospital for loss of blood flow to her right foot, and a large acute blood clot was ultimately found in a major artery. Several days later her leg was amputated above the knee.

Last year, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlighted the importance of diagnosing blood clots in the leg, particularly those occurring in veins deep under the surface, a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The study found that older 2-point compression or duplex ultrasounds were as effective as newer, more expensive Doppler ultrasound. The study’s authors suggested that anyone having calf pain, swelling, redness or warmth occurring in only one leg should automatically be checked for DVT.

Orthopedic surgery ranks fifth among medical specialties for the number of malpractice lawsuits filed, and fifth in the number of claims that result in some form of financial payment for the plaintiff, according to a study by the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. The failure of the doctor to effectively communicate with the patient and family, failure to obtain proper, informed, consent, and failure to promptly assess complications were found to be the leading contributors to orthopedic surgeon malpractice suits.

On June 21, 2007, 13 year-old Kaitlyn Lasitter was riding the Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom when her feet were severed by an old cable that fatigued and broke.

As a result of the roller coaster injury, Lasitter has undergone at least four surgeries and incurred medical expenses of about $500,000. Doctors were able to reattach her right foot and her left foot has been fitted with a prosthesis.

The amusement park lawsuit alleged that Six Flags was negligent in failing to properly inspect, maintain and operate the ride. The park workers failed to follow the ride’s manual for detecting problems with the cable and failed to stop the ride when the cable broke.

Investigations by state officials found that the roller coaster injury could have been limited to cuts and scrapes if the Six Flags employee had immediately hit the emergency stop button.

Although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, The Courier-Journal, in Louisville, Kentucky, reports that Six Flags lawyers suggested that the settlement will provide “lifetime care” for Lasitter.

The trial was scheduled to begin in January 2010, but the family elected to settle since they anticipated that the date would be postponed and the case also could have been tied up for years on appeal.