Sepsis in Nursing Homes: A Serious Problem Addressed by a Hillsborough County Attorney
Sepsis is a serious, sometimes life threatening, blood infection that may be caused by the neglect of a resident in a nursing home.
How Sepsis Begins
In a healthy individual, white blood cells act to rid the blood of bacteria. However, as explained by a Hillsborough County nursing home attorney, in circumstances where there is an unusually large amount of bacteria in the blood, the white blood cells become overwhelmed and a serious infection results.
Symptoms of Sepsis
Many of the signs of sepsis are consistent with other less serious illnesses, but an experienced Hillsborough County nursing home lawyer reports the following as typical:
- Fever
- Chills
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid heartbeat
- Loss of appetite
A Hillsborough County Nursing Home Lawyer on the Nursing Home’s Responsibility
Many cases of sepsis begin with a relatively minor infection somewhere in the body other than in the blood. Although, as a Hillsborough County nursing home attorney cautions, every infection poses risks for the elderly, proper treatment would likely cure the underlying infection and prevent the onset of sepsis. Unfortunately, many residents’ infections go either undiagnosed or untreated. In other cases, a sepsis infection may develop directly.
Sepsis and the Skin
A sepsis infection may develop as the primary infection through improper care of residents’ skin. The most common direct results reported by a Hillsborough County Nursing home lawyer are:
- Surgical wounds
- Intravenous lines
- Surgical drains
- Bedsores
In each case, improper care increases the resident’s susceptibility to a direct blood infection; and in each case, proper care would prevent that risk.
Contact a Hillsborough County Nursing Home Attorney for Legal Advice
Life in a nursing home presents challenges for the resident but also for you as your loved one’s advocate. Visit as often as you can, be observant and make sure you know what signs of neglect to look for. If you suspect any lack of proper care, call Peter Giroux, a Hillsborough County nursing home lawyer, at (727) 895-5399.