By Timothy Tomasik

If you or a loved one have been recently diagnosed with cancer, there is no doubt that you have a multitude of questions racing through your mind. What sort of treatment options are available? What are side effects of chemotherapy? How will my, or my family member’s body handle the drugs that they are prescribed after treatment? And of course, ultimately will the treatment be successful?

It is no secret that a cancer diagnosis can be one the most frightening and uncertain times for a family. Once diagnosed, patients typically consult with their doctor to determine what chemotherapy options are available to target and destroy cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy cannot tell the difference between a cancer cell and a healthy cell making temporary hair loss from a common side effect of treatment. While most patients grow their hair back after treatment ends, some chemotherapy drugs are making this loss permanent. Sadly, patients, (especially female breast cancer survivors), are beginning to experience permanent hair loss after using the chemotherapy drug Taxotere ®.

By Timothy Tomasik

“Can I borrow your car?” is a phrase nearly every car owner has been asked at one time or another. While handing over the keys to a friend in need may seem like the courteous thing to do, it is important to remember that you are trusting the other driver to operate your car safely.  Tragically, this all-too-common courtesy can have drastic and life altering consequences for the owner when the driver borrowing the car is not properly qualified to operate it.

In the automobile context, the law governing owner liability in this scenario is called “negligent entrustment.” Negligent entrustment involves the lending of one person’s car to another when the lender knew or should have known that the borrowing driver was not qualified to use the vehicle.  Under these circumstances, the law imposes a duty not just on the driver borrowing the keys, but also on the owner.  Essentially, when the owner knew or should have known that the driver was not qualified to operate the car, the owner will be liable for the negligent acts of the trustee (driver) resulting in harm to others. Typically, whether the owner “knew” the driver was unqualified hinges on whether the owner was aware of multiple prior traffic offenses or vehicular crashes.

Consumers across the country have been put on high alert after several victims suffered second and third-degree burns from Power Pressure Cooker XL explosions. The tops of the appliances have been malfunctioning and injuring users. Those near the exploded pressure cookers are subjected to scalding steam and hot liquid expelling from the units.

The Power Pressure Cooker XL is manufactured by the TriStar Products, Inc. company, established in New Jersey, and were sold to big-box retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Bed Bath & Beyond. The “as seen on TV” product disclaimer states that the lid of the pressure cooker cannot be removed until after internal pressure has dissipated and it is safe. However, consumers in the states of Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania have suffered wrongdoing.

The Power Pressure Cooker XL explosions have injured a number of people including a woman who received severe burns to her torso and injuries to children ranging from 9-months-old to 14-years-old. The hot liquids and pressure building up in these appliances have the capability to cause severe injuries and long-term health issues when the lids explode.

By Robert Geimer

Researchers from Michigan State University claim that riding a rollercoaster may help patients pass kidney stones.  According to an article in the current issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, after learning that a number of patients described passing kidney stones after riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, researchers constructed an artificial human kidney - complete with kidney stones - and took it for a ride.  They found that in the front seat, a stone was passed in 4 of 24 trials; in the back of the roller coaster, a stone was passed in 23 of 36 trials.  The authors theorize that the motion of the roller coaster helps knock stones loose so they can be passed out of the kidney.  This is research that can safely be described as, ahem, thrilling.

By Robert Geimer

Devices used to heat and cool patients during heart surgeries have been found to spread Legionella bacteria, the source of so-called Legionnaire’s disease.  According to an article in the Seattle Times, these devices may be designed in a way that does not allow them to be properly cleaned.  If so, the problem would be similar to the one identified with the use of endoscopes that spread deadly CRE bacterial infections at hospitals around the country, including Lutheran General Hospital outside of Chicago. TKK is presently representing patients who were infected in that outbreak.  If you or a loved one have been notified of an infection associated with an operating room heating-cooling device, contact TKK right away for important information.