Nursing home residents are often at high risk for developing sepsis under the negligent care of nursing home caretakers. Most times, sepsis is preventable. Sepsis often occurs because of bedsores and urinary tract infections and may progress to organ failure and death. This occurs when the bacteria from the infections enter the bloodstream through a wound and rapidly spreads to other areas of the body. When caretakers continually neglect such conditions, it may result in septic shock, which has a 50% mortality rate.
If your loved one has developed sepsis due to the negligence of a nursing home, speak to an experienced New York nursing home abuse attorney right away for an evaluation of your case. You may be able to recover compensation for their terrible losses, such as a decline in health, medical expenses, and even in the event of death due to septic shock.
What Is Sepsis and Septic Shock?
Sepsis, a life-threatening medical condition, is oftentimes preventable. This condition occurs when the body is trying to fight an infection by releasing certain chemicals into the bloodstream.
A nursing home resident that is suffering from sepsis can suffer serious complications such as permanent organ damage. This occurs because sepsis restricts the blood flow to vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. Without swift treatment, sepsis can lead to septic shock, which is an extreme drop in blood pressure that results in fatality around 50% of the time.
Early treatment of sepsis is key to a resident’s recovery. Treatments such as IV fluid and strong antibiotics can improve the chances of your loved one surviving sepsis. It is essential for caretakers to be aware of the signs of sepsis in order to act accordingly and employ the necessary medical treatment right away.
Sepsis Due to Nursing Home Negligence in New York
Sepsis is often an indication of negligent caretakers in a nursing home because it is the result of ignored medical conditions such as UTIs, bedsores, and other open wounds. The resident will often have inflammatory responses to the sepsis, which can be seen as a rapid heart rate, increased body temperature, and excessive breathing. The three stages of sepsis include:
- Sepsis: In this initial stage, the body releases toxins, and bacteria into the bloodstream to fight the infection, increasing body temperature to about 101 degrees, causing excessive breathing, increasing heart rate to at least 90 beats per minute.
- Severe sepsis: Without prompt treatment in the initial stage, sepsis can progress into severe sepsis and cause infrequent urination, decreased blood platelet count, cognitive decline, labored breathing, abnormal heart rate, and abdominal pain.
- Septic shock: Septic shock occurs when sepsis has progressed extensively, and it requires immediate medical attention to avoid death or life-long organ and cognitive damage.
Any nursing home resident that contracted sepsis due to a nursing home staff’s negligence has the right to pursue legal action for their extensive damages, physical and emotional. In order to prove negligence in a nursing home sepsis lawsuit, your experienced New York nursing home abuse lawyer has to prove several elements in order to ensure a successful case.
Evidence may include:
- The nursing home owed your loved one an adequate duty of care to ensure their health and overall wellbeing.
- They failed in their duty of care through nursing home negligence and abuse.
- Your loved one endured physical and emotional harm from the negligent and abusive actions.
- As a result of the failure, the nursing home resident has damages, both economic and non-economic.
Nursing homes and staff have a legal responsibility to provide adequate care. This includes keeping your loved one safe, healthy, and taken care of. If a nursing home fails to provide their basic needs and health management through negligence, abuse, or mistreatment, it creates potential liability for the losses experienced by the resident.
If you believe nursing home negligence played a role in your loved one’s sepsis or septic shock, speak to a seasoned New York nursing home abuse attorney for a chance to hold the abusive parties accountable.
Speak to an Experienced New York Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer at Dalli & Marino
If your loved one has been harmed due to a caretaker’s negligence and they have suffered extensive losses due to sepsis and possibly septic shock, speak to seasoned New York nursing home abuse lawyers to pursue legal actions against the negligent parties. At Dalli & Marino, we understand that nursing homes have an obligation to residents, and when they breach their duty of care, they should be held accountable.
The legal team at Dalli & Marino are fierce advocates for those who have suffered at the hands of nursing home abuse and mistreatment. We have years of dedicated experience recovering millions of dollars for New York victims to obtain the compensation and justice they deserve. Our highly skilled legal team works diligently to provide client-oriented service and representation. Call us today at (888) 465-8790 for a free consultation, or fill out our contact form. We also speak Spanish.
