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Tag: news

airplane cabin
July 31, 2017
Aerotoxic syndrome: the new phenomenon we may have been dismissing for years?

Whilst not officially recognised, more and more cases of “Aerotoxic syndrome” are being reported, and cases continue to raise concerns over air quality inside flight cabins.

Over the past decade, a number of shocking incidents have occurred where pilots have almost collapsed from fumes, and planes have been turned around with crew members falling sick. In the past few years, a handful of flights had to perform emergency landings.

Pilots, crew members and passengers may all be at risk when exposed to engine fumes inside a tightly compressed cabin space, thousands of feet in the air. The dangers are real…
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July 21, 2017
MHRA issues a medical device failure alert as all HeartStart MRx defibrillators might not deliver lifesaving shocks

According to our Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), certain defibrillators may fail to deliver controlled shocks, cardioversion, pacing or monitoring.

The HeartStart MRx defibrillators are manufactured by Philips Healthcare and it’s believed the fault lies with the batteries. The lifesaving medical devices could fail to turn on or reboot themselves repetitively, therefore hindering administrators from being able to deliver shocks. The device could also “fail to deliver a shock or undertake pacing” after it has been unplugged from AC mains.
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mom hip implant-concerns
July 19, 2017
MoM hip replacements potentially causing long-lasting injuries

All Metal-on-Metal (MoM) hip replacement patients are being recalled for advice and investigation in the U.K. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recently issued an updated medical device alert on 29th June 2017.

It’s estimated that 49,000 patients in the U.K. were given the MoM implants (with width of 36mm or above). The NHS notes that around 3,387 surgeries in 2010 used the 36mm (or above) MoM implants.
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Royal Derby Hospital gynaecologist
July 17, 2017
Rogue surgeon who performed unnecessary mastectomies on patients jailed

“Monster” surgeon jailed for 15 years.

Former breast surgeon Ian Paterson has been jailed for 15 years after he was found guilty of unnecessary mastectomies to several patients, and was convicted of multiple counts of wounding with intent.

This is a unique case – we hope victims will find some comfort in this decision, although we know the lifelong effects of his criminal activity may never be repairable.
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iphone
July 14, 2017
Apple denies responsibility for exploding iPhone 5

Apple has categorically denied responsibility for explosions reportedly occurring with their iPhone 5 products. Several complaints have been filed against the tech giant for ‘overheating and exploding’ iPhones, with a lawsuit first on 19th January in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

On around 22nd February 2016, Kyler Mowery was injured when his iPhone 5 reportedly exploded in his pocket, with the reason for the explosion being allegedly due to a possible defect of the phone/battery.
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traffic
July 07, 2017
Honda may be on the brink of a recall as multiple customers come forward complaining of gas fumes in the cabin.

Many Honda customers have taken to the internet to complain of unpleasant gasoline fumes filling the cabins of their 2015, 2016 and 2017 Honda CR-Vs.

Complaining drivers and passengers are reportedly unable to withstand the strong stench whilst also fearing that respiratory problems are to follow on from coughing and burning sensations experienced when inhaled.

We all know exhaust fumes can be toxic – so this could be serious.
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alert
June 05, 2017
Washington Supreme Court ruled that medical device makers have a duty to warn hospitals as well as doctors and physicians of product risks.

The Washington Supreme Court in the U.S recently gave a 6 – 1 judgement on whether or not medical device manufacturers have a responsibility to warn hospitals as well as doctors and operators of the risks their products come with.

In this recent Supreme Court decision, it was held that manufacturers must also warn hospitals as the purchaser of the medical devices (and thus the consumer), as well as doctors. The lawsuit was made against Intuitive Surgical Inc. after a man died from a fatal operation involving the manufacturer’s robotic medical device. The Da Vinci system is used for minimally invasive operations whereby a doctor operates on the patient through a robotic arm controlled by an electric remote.
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consumers warned online cancer treatments
May 19, 2017
Health and safety regulators are warning consumers of fake cancer treatments being sold online

Regulators have found 65 fake health products circulating the web that are falsely advertised as cancer treatments.

“Miraculously kills cancer cell in tumours,” “more effective than chemotherapy” – These kinds of potentially fraudulent and unsubstantiated claims are being used to advertise alternative cancer remedies, and the concern is that the vulnerable are being preyed upon.
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tesla autopilot investigation
May 12, 2017
The U.S. NHTSA clears Tesla of responsibility behind fatal crash; but does not protect the company from future lawsuits

Last year, former Navy SEAL and Tesla Model S enthusiast, Joshua Brown, died whilst driving a Tesla vehicle on auto-pilot mode.

Perhaps assuming that the “self-driving” vehicle would live up to its name, Brown did not swerve or apply his brakes during the 7 seconds leading up to his collision into the back of a truck. Due to the speed the vehicle was travelling at, Brown tragically died on impact.
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breast implant concerns
April 28, 2017
A woman fighting a rare but deadly cancer linked to breast implants speaks out to warn others

Ms Stacey Boone had gone to the doctors multiple times and was turned away, dismissing her concerns as having just contracted the flu. It took an egg-sized lump on her collarbone and a 42 pound weight loss before the doctors finally gave her the correct diagnosis.

Ms Boone had stage 4 cancer.

The type of cancer she was diagnosed with is extremely rare. The breast implant is associated with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), which is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a cancer in the lymphatic system which is essentially the immune system.
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