Amputation After Serious Infection
If you have undergone an amputation after a serious infection was not diagnosed and treated in time, you need to talk to a solicitor about the options available to you. If you have been the innocent victim of medical negligence, you will be able to pursue a compensation claim.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Medical Negligence Claim Enquiry for an instant assessment of your situation.
Serious tissue infections
Any part of the body can become infected with bacteria, including the skin and soft tissues. There are many different types of skin infection, such as cellulitis, impetigo and necrotising fasciitis.
Skin infections can vary in severity. Some will be contained by the body's immune system, meaning it is a localised infection that remains in one place. The immune system will successfully fight off the bacteria, ridding the body of infection. In some cases this will cause the surrounding tissue to die, leaving a hole that becomes filled with pus. This is called an abscess and it may need to be drained, depending upon the size.
However, other infections such as necrotising fasciitis are extremely aggressive. They are so virulent that the immune system cannot fight off the infection, meaning medical intervention is essential. If treatment is not provided, the infection will spread throughout the tissue, making the patient extremely unwell.
Necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis is perhaps one of the most serious deep tissue infections and if left untreated will lead to an amputation. This article will therefore focus upon necrotising fasciitis, although it is important to note that it is by no means the only infection that can result in an amputation.
Necrotising fasciitis can affect anyone, even those in excellent health. It happens when certain bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin that may be so small it is not even visible. Indeed, some necrotising fasciitis patients will not have been aware that they sustained an injury.
Gangrene and tissue necrosis
Once inside the body, the bacteria travel to the deep tissue – known medically as the 'subcutaneous tissue'. There the bacteria reproduce, a process which releases a poisonous chemical into the body. This damages the surrounding tissue and fascia (connective tissue), causing it to disintegrate.
Because the tissue has broken down, the blood supply to the tissue will be disrupted. This will exacerbate the situation as the tissue will then become deficient in oxygen, which is carried to the tissue by the blood stream. Due to the oxygen deficiency, the tissue will deteriorate even further.
After a short period of time, the tissue will have broken down to such an extent that it dies, or becomes 'necrotic'. At this stage the patient is said to have gangrene, whereby the tissue dies due to a loss of blood supply.
Treating necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis can be successfully treated with surgical debridement. Surgical debridement is when the dead tissue is cut away and the healthy tissue is left in place. All of the necrotic tissue must be removed or the infection will stay in the body, meaning the bacteria will continue to reproduce. It is possible that more than one operation will be needed in order to get rid of all the dead tissue.
Surgical debridement is the only way to treat necrotising fasciitis. A patient may also be given broad-spectrum antibiotics intravenously, but ultimately surgical debridement is needed if the condition is to be successfully treated.
How can an infection cause an amputation?
If this treatment is not undertaken quickly enough, it is possible that it will result in an amputation. For instance, if the infection first gets into the lower leg, it will attack the surrounding tissue, causing it to die.
As the bacteria multiply, they will travel up the leg, creating more and more dead tissue. Unless the bacteria are stopped with surgical intervention, they will carry on reproducing, leaving an ever-increasing area of necrotic tissue.
The spread of bacteria happens at an alarming rate, and within days the extent of tissue necrosis may have spread from the original site of infection to the upper leg. Once the tissue has necrosed it cannot be saved and it will all need to be removed. This will mean that a patient requires an above-the-knee amputation, as there is no way the leg can be restored.
Could an amputation have been avoided?
Necrotising fasciitis does spread very rapidly, and it may be that by the time a patient presents to hospital their leg cannot be saved. However, in some situations it may be that delays in medical treatment are to blame. If this is the fault of medical practitioners, there may be grounds for a medical negligence claim.
For example, a patient may present to their GP or hospital with the symptoms characteristic of a tissue infection. This includes a fever, skin that is red and hot to touch, and a pain at the site of infection with no obvious cause. While this should prompt clinicians to investigate the possibility of a deep tissue infection, there are times when medical practitioners do not understand the physical signs and make a misdiagnosis.
This will mean that the infection remains untreated, allowing the bacteria to continue to travel across the body. By the time an accurate diagnosis has been obtained, it may be too late and an amputation may be necessary.
Substandard medical care
If a patient's amputation could have been avoided with better medical care, there will have been a breach of duty. All medical practitioners owe their patients a duty of care, meaning they must provide a level of care considered acceptable by a reasonable body of medical men. If a substandard level of medical care causes a patient unnecessary harm – such as an amputation from a poorly treated infection – there may be grounds for a claim.
Making a medical negligence claim
To make a claim for medical negligence, you need to talk to a solicitor who specialises in this area of the law. At Glynns Solicitors we are a specialist clinical negligence law firm with the knowledge and expertise to help you claim the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to find out more.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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