May 11, 2016

Ford has issued several recalls of vehicles, including popular truck and SUV models, because the vehicles were found to be defective and potentially dangerous for consumers and other motorists on roadways. Among the recalled motor vehicles is the F-150 truck series, one of the auto company’s most popular lines of cars. In fact, the F-Series trucks have been the best-selling vehicles in the United States for several decades. In total, Ford Motor Company is calling for returns of approximately 285,000 vehicles across the five recalls. The majority of the recalled trucks and SUVs were manufactured and distributed in North…

May 7, 2016

What is already the largest motor vehicle recall in US history could get even larger. That’s because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the major highway safety watchdog in the United States, recently said that approximately 85 million cars and trucks still being used in this country have potentially defective air bag inflators. Takata is currently dealing with a great deal of scrutiny for not doing enough to ensure that the 28.8 million vehicles that have already been recalled get the repairs or replacements they need. The company has had years to resolve the problem and fix…

May 6, 2016

Neurologists at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have found that certain new blood-thinning drugs could represent a major improvement over warfarin, a blood thinner that is often used by doctors to significantly reduce stroke risk when a patient has atrial fibrillation. The study was recently published in Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal that provides information on current and emerging treatment options. For patients with atrial fibrillation, a common type of arrhythmia that leads to irregular heartbeat, strokes are a very serious concern because blood clots can form from the heart. Blood thinners may…

May 5, 2016

A young driver in Texas was recently killed when a minor fender bender caused the car’s air bag to explode. Shrapnel from the air bag, which was manufactured by the Takata Corporation, flew into the victim’s neck, killing her instantly. The air bag contained in the victim’s car, a Honda Civic, was actually recalled in 2011. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered the recall, which affected 24 million vehicles, in response to a number of deaths and injuries caused by the defective auto part. The recent car accident in Texas highlights the importance of making…

May 4, 2016

Olympus America, a major manufacturer of medical and surgical products, is in the process of redesigning a duodenoscope because it reportedly had a defect that caused infections during surgeries. A duodenoscope is a long, flexible tube that allows surgeons to see inside a patient’s body during surgery. The medical device is typically used during an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure that makes it easier for surgeons to move past a cancerous tumor and gain access to a blocked bile duct or the pancreas. The Olympus duodenoscope was found to pose a significant safety hazard because it was leaking…