In Dec. 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged how gadolinium, a metal often found in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast dye, can be detrimental to a patient's heath. The federal agency's realization led them to recommend that radiologists better educate patients about the dangers of using this substance and use alternatives.
When do physicians use contrast dye?
Patients worry about many things when taking prescription medications, including whether they'll suffer adverse side effects and whether it will be subject to a recall. Many patients suffer unexpected outcomes from taking prescription drugs that their doctors prescribe, yet most recalls don't happen until several adverse events occur.
A study published in The International Journal of Health Services in June of 2016 captured how doctors prescribe unsafe drugs as many as 100 million times before a recall happens in the U.S.
Many individuals rely on prescription drugs to heal them when they're suffering from illnesses or have an infection. While many patients realize that these medications come with side effects, they also understand that not every patient may experience the same ones. Manufacturers are often in such a hurry to get drugs on the market that they don't thoroughly test them to learn of the potential dangers they pose. They sometimes only find out how dangerous a drug is once it causes significant harm.
Stimulants that doctors often prescribe for conditions, including Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), can be quite dangerous.
It's not uncommon for individuals who are unhappy with an aspect of their appearance to get cosmetic surgery to help them feel better about themselves. Many women have breast implants, not realizing until it's too late, just how dangerous it can be to their overall health to do so.
There's been an uptick in stories about women and the health problems they've experienced after receiving breast implants in recent years. They've described depression, hair loss, chills, anxiety, rashes, fatigue and chest pain.
New U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hours of Service regulations go into effect on Sept. 29. The revision to these rules, which dictate how truckers may lawfully operate their tractor-trailers, will affect how long driving shifts can last and how drivers can take breaks. Federal regulators first imposed these rules as a potential way to reduce truck accidents. Only time will tell how this latest loosening of regulations will impact crash rates.
Starting Sept. 29, truckers will have the option of pausing their 14-hour duty shift for as long as three hours. Tractor-trailer operators will also be able to reduce their 10-hour off-duty period into two separate segments. One of those can now be as short as seven hours. The new 7/3 regulation replaces the 8/2 one that has long been in effect.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled several Valsartan blood pressure medications from the market in 2019 due to their potential contamination with carcinogenic contaminates N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Many of these prescription drugs had been on the market for as long as four years when the federal agency discovered the potentially dangerous nitrosamine compound contamination. Medical analysts now looking back on the recall argue that it posed minimal risk to patients.
FDA records show that it's likely that these medications' recall affected as many as one million patients. Even still, researchers at Harvard University suggest that the adverse health risks that patients faced by taking the medication leading up to the discovery are relatively small.
Most patients who take medications realize that no medicines are completely safe. They often have side effects associated with them. There's always the chance of contamination. Both of these factors can result in recalls. Individuals don't often stop to think about how a medication's packaging poses potential dangers as well, though.
Statistics compiled by PharmaceuticalCommerce.com in 2018 captured how there was a 52% uptick in pharmaceutical recalls during the first quarter of 2018. Many of the medications that drug manufacturers or U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulators recalled that year had packaging problems. The use of stock-keeping units (SKUs), implementation of serialization and automation has resulted in a reduction in recalls in recent years. However, there are still some lingering problems.
Making your way to a destination on foot may be an almost daily occurrence for you. You enjoy walking for a number of reasons, possibly including saving money on gas and getting important exercise. Of course, as good as walking can be for your health, it can put your safety at risk when you walk on or near roadways.
Though drivers should always remain on the lookout for pedestrians, distraction and general inattention can easily result in a driver not seeing a person on foot. Too many pedestrians find themselves struck by vehicles and suffering serious or even fatal injuries as a result. In efforts to combat the regularity of these accidents, many vehicle manufacturers have started utilizing pedestrian detection systems in vehicles. But do they work?
Construction zones can be dangerous for drivers under the best of circumstances. However, when careless truckers enter the mix, construction areas can become deadly.
Transportation officials often place signs warning motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving in highway work zones. These signs warn of reduced speed limits in these areas and the penalties for not adhering to them.
Medical device recalls can happen for a variety of reasons. Although some manufacturers voluntarily recall their products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) often has to issue an order to remove the item from circulation or use.
A voluntary recall occurs when the manufacturer removes the product from the marketplace to correct an alleged violation of FDA regulations. A mandatory device recall is when the federal agency issues a recall order because they believe that it's putting the health of the public at risk. Although this type of event seldom occurs, the FDA does this in instances where the manufacturer fails to voluntarily recall the product themselves.
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