200,000 Americans die each year due to avoidable medical injuries

According to the Journal of Public Safety over 200,000 Americans die each year due to avoidable medical injuries. The full study is available as a free download at: 

http://journals.lww.com/journalpatientsafety/Fulltext/2013/09000/A_New,_Evidence_based_Estimate_of_Patient_Harms.2.aspx#

It also is published in an article in Scientific American:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-many-die-from-medical-mistakes-in-us-hospitals

NHTSA investigating electric Ford Focus stalling problem.

The AP (9/11) reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating claims that electric Ford Focus vehicles can stall without warning after receiving 12 complains about 2012 and 2013 model year vehicles. None of the incidents resulting in an injury but some vehicles did stall when moving at 30 miles per hour or more. NHTSA says these incidents have happened in the last five months. Ford reports that it has sold just over 1,900 electric Focus cars.

        Reuters (9/10) reports that the probe includes about 1,000 vehicles. Ford says it is cooperating with NHTSA in the probe.

Toyota Recalls Lexus and RAV4 for Suspension Problem

Toyota to recall 780,000 vehicles again after fix fails.

The New York Times (9/9, Jensen, Subscription Publication, 9.44M) reports that Toyota is recalling 780,000 vehicles for a second time because its previous efforts to address a handling problem created by a failure of the rear tie rod on the suspension. The recall includes 18,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h vehicles while the rest are 2006 through 2011 Toyota RAV4 SUVs. The Times notes that the issues of a second recall is rare and that “Toyota, once seen as a benchmark in quality and reliability, has seen that image undermined in recent years.” Toyota will now attempt a different repair after learning that some vehicles still had problems after the previous recall.

First Federal trial over DePuy hip replacement device set to begin in Cleveland.

The National Law Journal (9/3, Bronstad) reports that the first Federal trial over DePuy Orthopaedics Inc.’s metal-on-metal hip replacement device, “which is the subject of about 10,000 lawsuits across the country, is scheduled to begin on September 9 in Cleveland.” The case, “brought by a woman in Rochester, N.Y., who claims to have a dislocated hip and was forced to undergo surgery to remove her ASR XL hip implant, will be the first bellwether proceeding to face jurors of nearly 8,000 cases coordinated in multidistrict litigation before U.S. District Judge David Katz. Prospective jurors are expected to be brought in on Tuesday.” Ellen Relkin of New York’s Weitz & Luxenberg, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs’ steering committee in the ASR multidistrict litigation against DePuy, said “We believe this is an appropriate case for bellwether trial since there is a concerning number of re-revisions among ASR patients resulting from injury to the tissue and muscle from metal debris and the two prior trials did not involve re-revisions.”