Sepsis is a dangerous health condition that results from a severe infection going untreated for a substantial time period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
If your loved one developed sepsis while in a nursing home, it is possible that they were not receiving regular care, and that such negligence was the cause of their sepsis. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to speak about possible legal approaches to seeking justice.
The Causes and Symptoms of Sepsis
According to the National Institute of General Medical Science (NIH), bacteria, fungi, or viruses can cause sepsis.
Sepsis generally sets in after the body has been thoroughly infected, according to the NIH, and a wound that was not properly treated may cause it. Once the body’s vital organs become infected, and the infection spreads to the body’s bloodstream, sepsis may ultimately occur. If an untreated wound is the cause of your loved one’s sepsis, your loved one’s caregiver might not have cared for them adequately.
The Symptoms of Sepsis
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some possible signs that a person has developed sepsis include:
- A low temperature that may cause the person to shiver or have chills, as well as develop cold extremities.
- A high temperature.
- Possible delirium, confusion, or other abnormal mental states.
- Rapid breathing, a struggle to gain their breath, or otherwise abnormal breathing patterns.
- Skin that takes on a blue-purple hue.
- A rapid heartbeat or weak pulse.
- Apparent, severe pain.
These symptoms, and possibly other symptoms, may indicate that your loved one’s body is using many of its resources in an attempt to fight off a severe infection. Your loved one must receive immediate medical care to treat the symptoms of sepsis and diagnose the infection that is likely to have caused their sepsis.
Sepsis Caused by Abuse or Negligence
It is essential that your loved one receives treatment for their sepsis right away. Once their condition has stabilized, and a medical professional is overseeing the process of combating the root of your loved one’s sepsis, you may begin to figure out how your loved one contracted sepsis in the first place.
Ways a caregiver could have caused your loved one’s sepsis could include:
- Failure to rotate your loved one in their bed, which may lead to bedsores that could become infected and eventually lead to sepsis.
- Failure to promptly treat bedsores, cuts, or any other wounds that arise on your loved one’s body.
- Failure to change out bandages on wounds in a frequent, regular timeframe.
- Using unsterile bandages or other non-sterile means to treat your loved one’s wounds.
- Failing to monitor early symptoms of infection that could develop into sepsis.
- Failing to refer your loved one to a doctor who may be required to diagnose and treat early symptoms of infection.
Such failures of direct caregivers may be symptomatic of a broader failure in the nursing home or other facility where your loved one lives or lived in the past.
Administrative Failure as a Possible Cause of Sepsis
In cases where negligent care results in injury or death to a nursing facility resident, administrators, and those who rank above them, could hold some responsibility. Some ways that leadership within a given nursing home may be negligent could include:
- Failing to ensure that all employees are qualified and trained in best caregiving practices, including dressing wounds and spotting and treating infections.
- Failing to hold employees who do not adhere to the best caregiver practices accountable.
- Failing to monitor employees to ensure that they are adhering to the best caregiving practices.
A Phoenix sepsis lawyer may be able to help you deduce from the details of your loved one’s sepsis who is responsible for their severe infection. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to hear more about how a lawyer may be able to assist you.
For a free legal consultation with a Sepsis Lawyer serving Phoenix, call (800) 794-0444
Taking Legal Action After Nursing Home Negligence
When one or more individuals associated with a nursing home acts negligently, harming your loved one, you may have reason to bring a lawsuit. You may choose to have a lawyer assist you in bringing such action. Your Phoenix sepsis lawyer may:
- Consult those in the medical field for their assessment of how negligent care could have played a role in your loved one developing sepsis.
- Collect evidence relating to your loved one’s development of sepsis, such as medical records or injury photographs.
- File a lawsuit on behalf of your loved one naming those who could be responsible for your loved one’s case of sepsis.
- Represent your loved one through settlement negotiations or at trial.
- Defend your loved one’s rights throughout the entire legal process.
If one or more parties are liable for your loved one’s sepsis, then your loved one could be entitled to financial coverage for:
- Their living expenses at the nursing home where the negligence occurred.
- Medical costs related to the sepsis.
- Their pain and suffering related to sepsis and any other neglect.
Your loved one could be entitled to additional awards depending on the facts of their case.
Phoenix Sepsis Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Call Our Team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today
Our mission is to seek the justice that you and your loved one deserve. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation with a Phoenix sepsis lawyer.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
