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Dallas Office
325 North St. Paul Street
Suite 4150
Dallas, Texas 75201
Tel: 214.953.3900
Fax: 214.953.3901


Miami Office
1111 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1100
Miami, Florida 33131
Tel: 305.913.7138
Fax: 305.913.4101


CURRENT INVESTIGATIONS 

  • Trasylol (Aprotinin)
    Trasylol (also called Aprotinin), a drug used to reduce bleeding during heart surgery, can increase the risk of kidney failure, heart attacks, and strokes, according to a recent study.  Some doctors are urging that the drug be abandoned in favor of safer and cheaper alternatives. The findings were reported on January 26, 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine.  News reports say that the Food and Drug Administration is examining the data.  The report in the Journal is based on a study of 4,374 patients having bypass surgery in various countries. The study reportedly showed that Aprotinin patients had twice the rate of kidney failure, and had increases in heart attacks, heart failure, strokes and a type of brain damage called encephalopathy.

     

  • 15 Passenger Vans
    Fifteen passenger vans are subject to an increased risk of rollover crashes, especially while carrying 10 or more occupants, according to reports.  These vehicles typically have seating for a driver and 14 passengers. Churches, businesses, community organizations, colleges, and others often use them. Fifteen passenger vans include the Ford Econoline E350, Ford Club Wagon E350, Chevrolet Express 3500, GMC Savana G3500, GMC Rally/Vandura G3500, Dodge Ram Van/Wagon B3500, and Dodge Ram Wagon B350. Automakers are reportedly aware of the problem. In a November 1, 2002 letter to automakers Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, the National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") cautioned that fully loading or nearly loading a 15 passenger van causes the center of gravity to move rearward and upward, which increases the vehicle's rollover propensity and could increase the potential for driver loss of control in emergency maneuvers.Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") has shown that 15-passenger vans have a rollover risk that increases dramatically as the number of occupants increases from fewer than five to more than ten. Fifteen passenger vans carrying 10 or more occupants had a rollover rate in single vehicle crashes that is nearly three times the rate of those that were lightly loaded. The increased risk of a rollover crash occurs because the passenger weight raises the vehicle's center of gravity and causes it to shift rearward. As a result, NHTSA found that the van has less resistance to rollover and handles differently from other commonly driven passenger vehicles, making it more difficult to control in an emergency situation.

     

  • Chantix--Anti Smoking Drug
    The FDA has announced that they had received reports of patients experiencing mood disorders and having erratic behavior when taking Chantix.  Chantix is a medication manufactured by Pfizer Inc.  Although the reports are still fairly new, the FDA says they are gathering information and advising doctors to closely monitor patients who are taking Chantix.  FDA officials say that health care physicians and patients should be on the lookout for severe mood swings and strange behavior. Sales of the drug reportedly totaled $101 million last year.

     

  • Pain Pumps and Cartilage Damage
    A recent study published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine identified intra-articular pain pumps (aka post-operative pain pumps) as the likely cause of a condition known as chondrolysis. Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis is a specific type of chondrolysis that is associated with pain pumps and shoulder surgery.

     

  • Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Difibrilllator Leads
    On October 15, 2007, Medtronic suspended sale of their Sprint Fidelis Difibrilllator Leads (Models 6930, 6931, 6948, 6949) after receiving reports of 5 fatalities. Reports of fracturing of Sprint Fidelis leads on Medtronic implantable defibrillators had been piling up for months. As of January 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had received 599 reports of lead fractures. In March 2007, Medtronic wrote a letter to doctors warning them about possible problems with the defective leads. However, it was a full 6 months later before the company decided to postpone distribution on the Sprint Fidelis leads.Despite having so many reports of Sprint Fidelis lead fractures, the FDA did not start monitoring the component until February, after the Minneapolis Heart Institute published a study of lead failures in the Sprint Fidelis models compared to the Sprint Quattro models, another type of Medtronic lead.