New Jersey Medical Malpractice Lawyers Discuss Fast Care Of Sepsis May Reduce Hospital Negligence, Save Lives
In New Jersey and across the country, hospitals face the constant threat of sepsis. When someone has a bacterial infection, sometimes the body goes into sepsis as a response to the infection, resulting in shock. More than 200,000 Americans die as a result of sepsis each year. Identifying early signs of sepsis is imperative for proper treatment.
New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers are now looking at New York after a recent proposal to implement protocols in hospitals that will diagnose and treat sepsis faster, hopefully improving the sad statistics on sepsis deaths.
Surgical incisions, IV lines, and bedsores are common infection sites that can lead to sepsis, though any bacterial infection anywhere in the body may trigger a septic response. The New York Health Department has stated that after diagnosing sepsis, best practices show that giving antibiotics and IV fluids within one hour can vastly reduce the number of patients who become seriously ill or die because of septic shock.
Though ideal medical care diagnoses and treats every illness as fast as possible, medical professionals need only strive to perform as well as a doctor of the same specialty would be able to under the circumstances. The symptoms of sepsis are well known but can look like indicators of other conditions. It is up to a doctor to order the blood work to confirm or deny sepsis.
Hospital negligence can take many forms, with one being the failure to diagnose a condition like sepsis in a timely manner so that it can be treated. If someone has been further injured because of septic shock or a loved one died because of it, it would be important to review the medical care received and determine if a timely diagnosis was possible.
Late diagnosis can compound illness or, in the worst case scenario, take a life. Victims of hospital negligence should know that there is recovery available. If you think you or a loved one may be the victim of hospital negligence, call 732-777-0100 to speak with a New Jersey hospital mistakes lawyer at Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, LLP or contact us online. We will review your case and determine your rights to pursue a potential hospital malpractice lawsuit.
Source: New Jersey Herald, “NY plans new hospital rules for treating sepsis,” Michael Virtanen Jan. 29, 2013
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