Blog Roll 2012 - DiCello Law Firm - Lawyers Helping Injury Victims Have A Voice

Created on Wednesday, 26 December 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) linked to chronic vision disorders

In a study conducted at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., researchers found that veterans with mild traumatic brain injury suffer vision problems at rates much higher than previously recognized. The study excluded veterans who’d suffered direct eye wounds.

Created on Thursday, 01 November 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Meningitis Outbreak Update

More drugs made by the New England Compounding Company (NECC) have bacteria in them. Yesterday the FDA discovered that betamethasone and cardioplegia solutions made by the NECC tested positive for bacteria.

WARNING: Rejuvenate and ABG II Recall Letters

The number of people I represent who have the misfortune of being implanted with Stryker’s recalled Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip continues to grow. And with each new case where the client has pain without a scheduled surgery they ask about Stryker’s letter.

In it Stryker offers this advice, “If you have no symptoms, you should continue to follow the post-operative plan that your surgeon has outlined for you.”

Created on Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

Unsafe Practices Lead to Increase in Patients at Risk

News reports indicate that the number of people injured by tainted injections as a result of the New England Compounding Center’s (NECC’s) presumed failure to follow safe compounding practices continues to rise.

Created on Sunday, 14 October 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

PMA or 510(k)? You need to know

Many lawyers and clients ask the question “Can you sue a medical device company if the medical device has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?” My answer is “It depends on what process was used to approve the medical device”. Then I ask “Was the failed product a PMA device or a 510(k) device?”

Created on Thursday, 11 October 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

More deaths are being reported from the tainted epidural steroid shots

The Number of deaths resulting from contaminated epidural steroid shots is going up. There are now over 170 cases reported and 14 deaths. That is almost double from the reported numbers from yesterday.

Created on Thursday, 11 October 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG-II Hip Implants: Why is the Cobalt-Chromium Blood Test so Important?

I ask any patients who I speak to who believes they have received a Rejuvenate or ABG-II modular hip implant to get a blood test to check their chromium and cobalt. This blood test is important because the main reason why Stryker recalled the Rejuvenate and ABG-II modular hip implants is because they could be fretting and corroding.

If your Stryker Rejuvenate or ABG-II modular hip implant is fretting or corroding, there will be cobalt and/or chromium in your blood stream.

Created on Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Meningitis Outbreak due to unsafe epidural steroid injections

On October 3, 2012, the New England Compound Pharmacy Inc. stopped production of all of their pharmaceutical products because of unsterile conditions. It was discovered that their epidural steroid injections were contaminated with Fungal Meningitis. Once this was discovered, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recalled all the contaminated epidural steroid injections.

Created on Thursday, 13 September 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

The truth from a client

A few days ago I received a message that a potential new client that wanted to meet with me. He had just received a letter from his Surgeon telling him that he’d been given a recalled hip by Stryker.

The letter also told him to call Stryker if he had questions. He did. Then he received another letter. This one was sent by Stryker.

The first filing of a Stryker Rejuvenate or ABG II hip implant failure case

Last week, the first of what will be many cases against the Stryker Corporation for their Rejuvenate and ABG-II modular hip implants was filed by our co-counsel C. Calvin Warriner of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA in New Jersey. As we begin to file more and more of these cases, the full extent of the dangers of these hips will become known.

Created on Thursday, 02 August 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

Stryker hip recall litigation group

This past week I had the privilege of attending the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) yearly convention in Chicago. I was able to share experiences with lawyers from all over the country and in particular with lawyers who are like me talking to Stryker hip victims every day.

Created on Sunday, 29 July 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Are we treating corporate America fair or are they getting a pass?

I was watching the new HBO show Newsroom when I heard one of the characters say “what is the difference between a person and a corporation?” This got me thinking. What is the difference? In the eyes of the law there really isn’t one. The law treats a corporation as a person. They are entitled to all the same protection the law gives to a real flesh and bones person.

Created on Sunday, 22 July 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

Stryker Earnings Call

On July 18th Stryker held its second quarter earnings call. For all of you that are patients and not analysts that means that Stryker had conference call with a lot of Wall Street types to talk about how much money they are making, or not. For this quarterly report Stryker has very good news. Double digit growth projected in the coming years, year after year. With quarterly earnings in the billions of dollars that’s good news if you own the stock.

Propecia can cause serious side effects

As many of our clients have come to learn, this past April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the warning to finasteride, Merck & Co.’s drug Propecia™ and Proscar™ marketed to treat both male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate.

Created on Thursday, 05 July 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

What about the patients who had a Stryker Rejuvenate hip implanted?

It’s fascinating to read the news about Orthopedic implant maker Stryker Corp’s decision to recall certain modular-neck stems used to correct hip biomechanics.

Created on Wednesday, 04 July 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

Another Recall: Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implants

The Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Systems™ have failed. Stryker has recalled its Rejuvenate Modular and ABG II modular-neck hip stems. The reason given by Stryker is that this device undergoes unacceptable levels of fretting and/or corrosion that “may result in adverse local tissue reactions”.Stryker recall notice.

Created on Wednesday, 09 May 2012

Written by Mark A. DiCello

A history of mesothelioma and asbestos

There had been suspicions that asbestos might have dangers for centuries. However, the scientific proof that asbestos could cause cancers Mesothelioma became well established in the 1930s. That such a safe looking substance, mined from earth, was so dangerous was initially doubted by the asbestos manufactures themselves. In fact, the asbestos industry paid for studies in the 1930s and thereafter to prove that asbestos was safe. However, their scientists arrived at the exact opposite conclusion. Asbestos was dangerous.

Created on Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Everyone deserves their constituional rights

I sometimes wonder if there are times or people who don’t deserve rights. I mean some people out there are bad people trying to do bad things. However, does that make it ok for the police to not give them their rights? The rights promised to them in the Constitution. Should police not be accountable for something they do to a real villain?

Sometimes I think not, but then I start to think about all the times that police have the wrong person. Or the times when a person was wrongfully convicted. If that person was brutally beaten up by police or had handcuffs put on them so tight that their hands fell off that would just not be right!

Created on Monday, 19 March 2012

Written by Robert J. DiCello

Do I have to get an attorney for probate court?

Legal practice in the probate court is restricted by law to attorneys who are licensed by the Ohio Supreme Court. If an individual wishes to handle his or her own case he or she may do so; however, they may not represent others. Due to the complexity of the law and the desire to avoid costly errors many individuals who have filings before the court choose to be represented by an attorney. Deputy clerks of the probate court are prevented by law from practicing law, and, therefore, are limited in the amount of advice they are permitted to give to the public.

Created on Sunday, 05 February 2012

Written by Robert J. DiCello

I just had a car accident, what should I do?

The immediacy and shock of an automobile accident may cause feelings of panic and anger in your initial dazed and confused condition. But you must control yourself, without acting rashly, and begin to reasonably and rationally assess the situation.

Created on Monday, 09 January 2012

Written by Mark Abramowitz

Yes, there are crooked cops out there

Over the years I have been asked, why sue a police officer or police department? They are only out there to help…right? Well, for the most part, that is true. Most officers and police departments are out there to make society a better place. They take pride in both their job and their community. However, that can’t be said about all of them!

Some police officers and departments do some horrible things to people in the community.