Hospital-acquired infections can affect
any hospitalized patient, however, they may be more common in elderly
patients, very young patients, and those with suppressed immune
systems. If recognized and treated promptly, most patients will
recover; however, if left untreated, a life-threatening blood
infection known as sepsis can occur.
If your loved one has died as a result
of an unrecognized or untreated hospital-acquired infection, talk to
a personal injury attorney about pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit
against the hospital or attending physician. Here are some things you
should know about hospital-acquired infections:
After a surgical procedure, it is
crucial that the surgical site be meticulously cared for by the
hospital staff. Everyone who comes into contact with your family
member's wound needs to wash their hands and put on latex gloves.
It is also essential that all wound
dressing products and wound care supplies, such as gauze pads and
bandages, be sterile and that the surgical site be cleaned in
accordance with the physician's treatment orders. A breach in this
protocol may result in a surgical wound infection, which may lead to
the following symptoms:
If your loved one experiences any of
the above symptoms of a surgical site infection, your physician may
need to acquire a culture from the affected area so that it can be
analyzed in the microbiology department of the hospital's laboratory.
The wound culture results will reveal
the strain of bacteria that is proliferating around the surgical site
so that the appropriate antibiotic can be prescribed. In addition to
culture analysis, the hospital staff will need to notify the
physician to any changes in the patient's health status that may
indicate the presence of sepsis related to the surgical site
infection.
Symptoms of sepsis include a high
fever, fast heart rate, high respiratory rate, decreased urinary
output, decreased blood platelet counts, and severe weakness. If
sepsis is not recognized and treated quickly, septic shock may
develop.
The symptoms of septic shock include
all of the symptoms of sepsis, plus it causes hypotension, or very
low blood pressure. Failure to recognize the symptoms of septic shock
may result in death.
Sepsis and septic shock are treatable
if diagnosed and managed early on. However, if the doctor fails to
address your loved one's symptoms, your personal injury attorney may
advise your family to pursue a wrongful death suit against the
physician and hospital, should your family member die as a result.
Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections are often caused by indwelling urethral catheters. Indwelling catheters are placed in the bladder to retrieve urine that is then carried to a collection bag via a plastic tube.
Urinary catheters can be left in place
for short periods of time or may be recommended for long-term use if
the patient is unable to urinate independently. Meticulous catheter
care is essential when checking or irrigating the catheter, because
if bacteria is introduced to the urethra, a serious systemic
bacterial infection may develop.
Symptoms of a catheter-associated
urinary tract infection include blood in the collection bag, urethral
burning, burning when urinating, lower abdominal pain, fever, chills,
and urinary frequency.
If the physician fails to address the
signs of a urinary tract infection and neglects to prescribe the
relevant treatment, the patient may develop a life-threatening
infection that may result in death.
If you believe that your loved one died
as a result of an unrecognized or untreated urinary tract infection,
your personal injury lawyer and medical expert will review the
patient's medical records to determine if a wrongful death case
should be pursued.
To learn more about hospital-acquired
infections and wrongful death litigation, contact
us
at the Law Offices of Robert Dodson, P.A. today for your
initial consultation.
