Since their introduction, antibiotics have revolutionized medicine. Today, few people die from the most common bacterial infections thanks to common antibiotics like penicillin. Unfortunately, with widespread adoption has come some negative side effects: in particular, more bacterial infections are resistant to the most common antibiotics. This is true of healthcare acquired infections, which spread in hospitals and nursing homes. Contracting a serious bug is expensive, requiring medical care and possibly resulting in hospitalization. Call Chance, Forlines, Carter & King, PC. Our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers can review if the facility is to blame for your infection and what damages you might request.
Common Antibiotic-Resistant Infections
Hospitals and nursing homes are breeding grounds for some of the most dangerous superbugs:
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This is a common soft-tissue infection which many people pick up in a hospital. Methicillin has historically been the antibiotic of choice to treat Staph infections, but MRSA is now commonly resistant to it, forcing doctors to try different drugs.
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus. Common with wound infections, this is a dangerous bacterial infection.
- Drug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This infection is common with hospital-acquired pneumonia. It is resistant to many antibiotics, which makes treatment extremely challenging.
- Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. A multidrug-resistant infection, this bacterium is common in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
This is only a short list. Indeed, the number of infections resistant to common antibiotic treatments has only continued to grow. Patients and their families will need the best medical care to give them a chance to recover.
Is the Health Care Facility Responsible for Your Infection?
Some infections are unavoidable. After all, hospitals and nursing homes are public places with hundreds of people passing through in a week, and no environment can be kept 100% sterile. Just as people pick up infections at school or the post office, some infections will spread in hospitals.
Nonetheless, a hospital might have liability for an infection in the following situations:
- Surgical site infections. These infections happen at the site of incision, which is often a sign the surgical team did not scrub in properly, or your medial team has not cleaned your wounds adequately following surgery. You might hold the hospital or individual members liable for failing to follow the standard of care.
- Failure to check spread. Once the hospital staff are aware of an infection spreading, they need to take reasonable steps to protect vulnerable patients. This might mean temporarily moving patients, deep cleaning areas, or taking other sensible steps. If staff stick their head in the sand and do nothing, then the hospital could have liability for the infection.
- Failure to treat patients. The hospital must obviously treat patients properly who have an infection. This means identifying the infection in a timely manner and ordering correct, timely treatment.
The hospital cannot guarantee that you will recover from an infection, and they cannot guarantee no one will get an infection. Nonetheless, they have obligations to act in a professional manner.
Damages for Infections
The damages will depend on how the infection has impacted you:
- Medical treatment and extended hospital stays. A patient might be stuck in a hospital for weeks fighting off an infection. Sepsis is a dangerous condition which arises when an infection is left untreated and can progress to septic shock.
- Post-treatment care. Some patients need continuing care at home to help them recover. In extreme cases, a doctor might be forced to amputate a limb to stop the spread of infection, in which case a patient will have costs related to limb loss.
- Lost income. Treatment prevents people from working, so there is often some income loss when dealing with antibiotic resistant infections.
- Pain and suffering. These damages are subjective in nature, but they aim to compensate for the non-economic suffering a person endures when ill. Being stuck at the hospital or even being on the verge of death are experiences which deserve meaningful compensation.
Let an experienced Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer review your case. Each infection is different. Our firm can ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Call to Speak with an Attorney
Hospitals and other health care facilities will often deny liability when an infection rips through the building. They might even claim you received the infection after you returned home. Nobody dealing with a serious antibiotic resistant infection should accept these denials at face value.Instead, call Chance, Forlines, Carter & King, PC. Our legal team wins medical malpractice cases thanks to our detailed knowledge of current medical and our commitment to the law. Contact us to schedule a consultation.