Blood clots occur when the blood coagulates in arteries, and sometimes the clump of amassed cells becomes lodged in the heart or brain. This can result in a heart attack, stroke, or even death. Luckily, blood-thinning medications like Coumadin are available to prevent blood clots from developing. But our Texas drug injury lawyers at Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers explain that taking too much of this particular medication can be just as risky to your health as a blood clot because of the risks of uncontrollable bleeding.
Today, these dangers seem to be presenting themselves at a disproportionate rate in nursing homes across the United States. In fact, data shows that at least 165 nursing home patients were hospitalized due to bleeding events brought on by the use of Coumadin in the past year.
An article from ProPubliica highlighted the risks of taking Coumadin by telling the stories of several elderly patients who were harmed or died after using the drug. Despite the number of Coumadin-related injuries that are reported each year, little is being done to reduce the number of patients who are harmed by the drug. When such accidents occur, nursing homes often aren’t fined and are simply asked to create a policy to help prevent such a drug error from occurring again in the future.
Our Texas personal injury lawyers at Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers say that’s why it’s so important to be aware of your rights if you or a loved one were harmed by a medication that was prescribed to you.