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Can Sepsis Be Caused by Medical Malpractice?

If you or your loved one developed sepsis as a result of medical malpractice, call the Regan Zambri Long DC medical malpractice lawyers today for a free consultation. Sepsis can create ongoing medical problems that are harmful to your health and can be permanently debilitating or life-threatening. Not to mention, developing sepsis can also significantly increase your medical bills.

At Regan Zambri Long, our medical malpractice attorneys firmly believe you should not have to pay for someone else’s mistake. Call today to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who will help pursue compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

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What Is Sepsis?

Sepsis is the body’s overactive and toxic response to an infection. It occurs when a person’s immune system releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection, but instead of fighting the infection and helping the person get better, the chemicals create overwhelming inflammation throughout the body. The inflammation or severe sepsis puts an enormous amount of stress on multiple organs, causing organ failure.

If left untreated, a person with severe sepsis can go into septic shock, which is a serious drop in blood pressure. While mild sepsis can be treated, septic shock is a life-threatening condition and has a 40% mortality rate.

The cause of sepsis is often an infection, such as pneumonia or other lung infections. Kidney, bladder, or other urinary infections can also cause sepsis. Other areas of infection that can produce sepsis are the digestive system, a bloodstream infection, or a catheter site. Finally, open wounds or burns are likely to become infected and could cause the victim to go into septic shock.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis?

Pay attention to the following signs and symptoms if you or your loved one is being treated in a hospital or has an infection. The key to a quicker recovery is to catch sepsis early. The symptoms you should look for are:

  • High heart rate or low blood pressure
  • Fever, shivering, feeling cold
  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Shortness of breath
  • Clammy or sweaty skin
  • Extreme pain or discomfort
  • Sleepiness or difficulty waking up
  • Pale or discolored skin

If you or your loved one exhibits these signs, seek medical attention immediately. Remember, sepsis is a medical emergency and should be treated as such. Do not hesitate to go to a hospital or call your doctor.

How Medical Malpractice Can Cause Sepsis

In most cases, patients entering a hospital already have an infection before arriving. However, if the infection is misdiagnosed or not diagnosed in time, the infection can lead to sepsis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 patients who die in a hospital have sepsis. While not all sepsis cases can be prevented, many could have been completely avoided.

Doctor and Nurse Discussion Emergency Room NegligencePatients may also develop infections during their hospital stay, which are called Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs). In these cases, the infections may have been caused by medical negligence by the facility or an individual healthcare provider.

Examples of medical negligence that can lead to a patient developing sepsis are:

  • Failure to recognize or diagnose an infection
  • Failure to recognize or diagnose sepsis
  • Delay in treating an infection
  • Lack of or wrong tests on urine, blood, and wound secretion
  • Administering incorrect antibiotics
  • Failure to clean IV lines properly
  • Failure to administer the right amount of fluids to a sick patient
  • Failure to keep the patient updated on the status of their health
  • Poor sanitation practices
  • Improperly sterilized medical equipment
  • Poorly healing surgical wounds
  • Bedsores

If you or your loved one experienced these errors in a Washington, DC medical facility, immediately contact an experienced DC medical malpractice attorney. You have the right to compensation; your story could help other victims avoid what you went through.

Sepsis Resulting from Nursing Home Abuse in DC

Nursing HomePeople 65 and older are at the highest risk of developing sepsis, which makes nursing homes particularly problematic for the illness. Unfortunately, many facilities meant to care for the elderly do just the opposite. Nursing home residents are mistreated, ignored, and left to suffer when they fall ill.

Like hospitals, many workers come and go, bringing in different kinds of germs and harmful bacteria, which make the patients ill. Additionally, many nursing home residents are frequently transported to and from hospitals for various illnesses, which increases their risk of HAIs.

Sepsis is also a result of nursing home neglect. If an elderly patient is not continuously monitored for infections, bedsores, bacteria, and other illnesses, sepsis can develop quickly. Because of their age and fragile health, the elderly are more likely to fall sick and go into septic shock.

There are many signs and symptoms of sepsis you can look for in your loved one who lives in a nursing home. If you notice any of the following, make sure he or she receives medical attention immediately:

  • Cold hands or feet
  • Extreme pain
  • Fever
  • High heart rate
  • Lethargy, confusion, anxiety
  • Loss of appetite
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Nausea
  • Sepsis rash (tiny spots that look like pinpricks)

If your loved one suffered neglect and abuse in a nursing home, reach out to a Regan Zambri Long medical malpractice attorney who will guide you through the claims process and offer expert legal counsel. At Regan Zambri Long, we believe our elderly population should be treated with the utmost care and respect – we do not tolerate anything less. Call today for a free initial consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney who will fiercely fight for the rights of the elderly and, if necessary, pursue a sepsis lawsuit.

How to Prove Medical Malpractice Caused Sepsis

Salvatore J. ZambriAt Regan Zambri Long, our goals are simple: our medical malpractice lawyers will help you understand your legal rights, build a rock-solid case around your claim, and secure a settlement or verdict in your favor.

Our team will work with medical consultants, review medical records, and investigate the hospital, physician, or other DC medical facilities to prove you were the victim of medical malpractice. After we uncover all the evidence in your case, we will pursue the maximum compensation possible. While you concentrate on your recovery, we will concentrate on recovering the damages you are owed.

Our DC medical malpractice lawyers have won millions of dollars for our clients over the years, including an $11 million settlement against a facility that failed to perform a pregnancy test on a patient before surgery. Our lawyers are routinely featured in Best Lawyers and the National Law Journal.

Our client testimonials speak for themselves. Clients praise our partners for being patient, communicative, and compassionate. Our medical malpractice lawyers deeply understand what you and your family are going through, and we know you do not want to be our clients for one more minute than you have to. That is why we work hard to answer every single question you have, keep you updated on the status of your claim, and try to negotiate a fair settlement as quickly as possible.

Regan Zambri Long is not afraid of large hospitals or their insurance companies. We have the resources to take any claim to trial, so you can be sure your attorney will be with you every step of the way. Call today for a free consultation to get your claim started.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Have you or your loved one sustained injuries in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia? Regan Zambri Long PLLC has the best lawyers in the country to analyze your case and answer the questions you may have.

Call 202-960-4596

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