Dangerous Drugs: Propofol Infections Following Colonoscopy

Propofol is best known as the drug that may have killed Michael Jackson, but it is widely used in colonoscopies to induce a twilight state for the examination.
The problem with the drug in colonoscopy use is not with the drug itself, but with the way that the manufacturer packages it and in the way that some doctors and clinics use it.

The directions for using Propofol state that each bottle is for a "single user" only. This means that if less than the contents of the bottle are used on a patient that the excess should be thrown away and not given to another patient. However, the bottle is filled with more than one person would typically need. Why? Because little bottles cost more to fill in the manufacturing process. It is simply easier and cheaper to get the liquid into a bigger container. Also, the manufacturer can charge more for the greater amount of drug in the bottle.

The very big problem is that some doctor offices and colonoscopy clinics either do not properly control their nurses and technicians who use the bottles for more than one patient, or else those doctors and clinics try to make more money by using one bottle for more than one patient and billing Medicare or another insurer for more bottles than are actually used.

Here's the result. When the nurse or tech draws the Propofol the first time and then injects it into a patient they wait to see if enough has been administered for that person to be "put out" for the procedure. If not, then the same needle is used for the same patient and it is dipped back into the vial of Propofol to draw out some more to be used. What happens when the needle goes back into the bottle to draw out more Propofol? You guessed it, the bottle becomes contaminated from the first injection. This would not harm anyone EXCEPT that if the same vial is now used for a second patient, that second patient becomes infected even if the needle has been changed because the bottle, not the needle, is now growing the infection inside the liquid.

This has led to terrible injuries due to Hepatitis C, B and HIV being transmitted in colonoscopy clinics and other offices administering the tests with Propofol used to induce a twilight state of consciousness.

Recently a jury found this infection process to be the fault of the manufacturers, Teva Parenteral Medicines Inc and Baxter Pharmaceuticals. Suits are pending around the country.

If you or a loved one have developed Hepatitis C following a colonoscopy I would like to investigate the matter and to help you. You can reach me through the phone numbers and e-mail address listed on my webpage at www.stephengorey.com.

Product Liability - Toyota Sudden Acceleration

Every few days it seems that another news article documents a Toyota product, including Lexus, suddenly going faster than the driver wanted. This has resulted in tens of thousands of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and lawsuits across the country for people who have been seriously injured or their loved ones killed. While it is true that some of the complaints were caused by driver error or objects jamming the gas pedal, such as floor mats, the main culprit appears to be random electrical signals.

To get an idea of what this means, think of a "rogue wave" out in the ocean. It used to be that there was no real proof of the existence of these "monster waves" that sailors reported sometimes being 100 feet high. Now, however, due to satellite imaging, the existence of the waves has been proven. They have also recently been documented on film hitting cruise ships.

Where do these waves come from? The most accepted theory now comes to us from the world of mathematics and specifically from the realm of "fractals." One such theory which is now being empirically verified by the existence of rogue waves, is that a seemingly regular current of energy that flows with even spacing will, for an as yet unknown reason, produce a "spike" in the current every now and again at times that are (as yet) unpredictable. So, going back to the ocean, the waves can roll up and down with the currents of energy in a lazy sort of fashion in 5 to 10 foot swells and then, unexpectedly, a monster rogue wave will appear inside the "calm" waters.

Electronic signals in the car can do the same. The car's electrical signals may flow in a familiar up and down wave pattern but every now and then a rogue "random" signal may appear. If there are too many electronic components in too small a space, the signals can interfere with each other.

Toyota gas pedals do not pull a lever anymore. When you step on the gas or set the cruise control, you are sending an electronic signal to the car's computer. If a stray signal from within the car or outside the car gets interpreted by the car's computer as a command to accelerate the car, the engine will suddenly accelerate.

While it may not be possible to eliminate these stray electrical signals, the auto industry has known for many years how to stop the signals from causing sudden acceleration. The answer is a brake override system where any pressure to the brake will be the primary command that will stop the car from accelerating. Many car manufacturers use this system, but not Toyota. Why? The easy answer is money. It costs money to retrofit automobiles. Beyond that, Toyota believes that their keyless system by which an owner with a small transmitter in their pocket can start the car by putting a foot on the brake and pushing a button is a safety device (because the car cannot be started by pushing a button with a foot on the accelerator) that Toyota doesn't want to give up. It has a "wow" factor that sells cars.

I have successfully handled product defect cases involving automobiles with engine design defects. If you or a loved one has been injured by sudden acceleration in a Toyota product, I would like to investigate this for you and to help. You can contact me through any of the phone numbers or email address listed on my web site at www.stephengorey.com.