Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Philadelphia cancer patients and others across the country undergoing targeted radiation treatments to beat cancer may actually be harming their bodies and causing severe and permanent injuries.

Targeted radiation treatments allow doctors to more efficiently and accurately attack a tumor; however studies have shown that this new form of radiation has opened the door to more frequent and severe errors. Software glitches, inexperienced technicians, and the lack of a failsafe are just some of the factors that are causing patients to suffer unjustly from overexposure of radiation.

People are exposed to more radiation than ever before and over half of all cancer patients undergo some sort of radiation to diagnose or treat the disease. A new type of radiation called Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy or I.M.R.T. is a directed beam of radiation that doctors can lead directly to the patient's tumor. This new technology can help spare healthy cells and allow doctors to treat patients with radiation where it would have been too risky in the past.

The I.M.R.T. is completely computer controlled. With the help of an oncologist software designs a treatment specific to each patient set to undergo the radiation. Oncologists can selected the designed treatment or work with the software to modify it. Next the technician or oncologist responsible for administering the radiation enters the dose of the radiation, followed by the location of treatment and finally prompts the machine to guide the radiation directly to the tumor.

While there is no failsafe system installed in the machines there are still opportunities for medical physicists to notice and prevent any radiation mistakes before they occur. First a test run is supposed to be conducted to ensure that the radiation amount and location are accurate. Second, during the radiation the monitor of the machine displays the amount and location of radiation but these monitors are not always watched as the technician usually focuses their attention on the patient.

Doctors are relying too heavily on the computer software when administering I.M.R.T. and failing to notice the signs the treatment is not appropriate for their patients. The software has no failsafe system to ensure that the doctors and technicians are administering the radiation properly and not causing serious and permanent harm to patients. Unfortunately for patients the risks and injuries of this new technology are currently outshining the benefits and healing capabilities.

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Radiation Offers New Cures, and Ways to Do Harm

Philadelphia parents should immediately stop using all Maclaren brand strollers. After several reports of children having their fingers amputated by the stroller, Maclaren in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Comission (CPSC), has recalled all makes and models of their umbrella strollers. The defective strollers have been found to amputate children's fingers when placed in the hinge where the stroller closes. The recall covers over one million strollers that have been sold nationwide in the past decade.

The recall comes at a surprise to many parents because the brand has a reputation for being extremely dependable. The light, compatible, upscale but relatively inexpensive stroller is very popular among young urban parents. To remedy the situation Maclaren is offering free hinge covers to protect children. Maclaren is offering a free repair kit to be ordered from the website; however parents are finding it difficult to order the kit because of excess site volume. Maclaren is doing the best they can to repair their public image and stresses that parents stop using all of their make and model folding strollers until they receive a repair kit.

If you believe that your child has been harmed by a defective stroller please contact our experienced child safety attorneys to discuss your potential products liability case today.