AboutGlenn A. Dorfman Expertise Twenty-four years experience in personal injury, medical malpractice and medical product liability law. Practice currently concentrated on the diet drug (fen-phen) litigation. Qualified to answer all questions regarding injuries and the law, except for worker`s compensation.
Question 1 yr. ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, I was given 40mg. of prednisone for 9 weeks. I was never informed of the dangers of prednisone. I just had my left hip replaced and will need my right hip replaced as soon as it collapses, due to avascular necrosis. Do I have any legal recourse?
Answer Prednisone is one of the accepted treatments for UC but in my brief research I see nothing on the list of complications/risks regarding avascular necrosis which I believe is caused by lack of blood flow to the hip joints. Bottom line is this: let's say prednisone is documented to in very rare cases lead to avascular necrosis. You would only have a medical malpractice case if (1) you had a medical history that made the prednisone dangerous for you or (2) the prescribing doctor failed to monitor your use by accepted protocols and (3) if the doctor properly monitored you, you would not have contracted the AN. Get facts in support of those things and maybe you have something but the doctor's handling of your case must be quite eggregious/negligent. That means, he was crazy to give you the stuff and totally ignored warning signs that you were developing a serious problem and any half competent doctor would have stopped the prednisone and it is clear and convincing that if he did so, your hips would have not been affected. Tough nut to crack. Best of luck.
