Abdominal Necrotising Fasciitis and Compensation for Negligent Medical Care
Necrotising fasciitis, a rare but serious infection, often develops in the abdominal region. It can occur anywhere in the body but the limbs, the genital region and the abdomen are the most common locations.
Emergency medical care
The potential devastation caused by this appalling infection and the destructive nature of the surgery required to halt it mean that an early diagnosis and emergency treatment are key to a good outcome.
If medical professionals fail to identify that a patient may be developing this terrible illness, it will continue to spread rapidly through the body until a diagnosis is made or the patient dies. It is associated with a high mortality rate and requires urgent care in the form of debridement or surgical removal of all infected tissue.
An early diagnosis and emergency surgery followed by reconstructive surgery should mean that the patient makes a good recovery and maintains a good quality of life.
A delay in diagnosis and treatment is likely to lead to a very poor outcome indeed. Even when the patient survives, they are likely to have suffered extensive tissue destruction and removal and, where abdominal necrotising fasciitis is concerned, they may be struggling with bowel function.
It is, furthermore, possible that they may need a colostomy in order to fit a stoma bag to provide bowel function if the ravages of this appalling illness have damaged the bowel beyond repair.
Medical negligence
It is not always easy to make a diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis, especially in its early stages, but it is essential that medical professionals are aware of and prepared to consider the possibility of this diagnosis as an explanation of the patient's symptoms. Without such suspicion, an urgent referral for specialist investigation will not be made and the patient will suffer unnecessarily.
Medical professionals may also be regarded as having been negligent if abdominal necrotising fasciitis develops due to substandard care before, during or following surgery, when the patient is susceptible to infection.
Claiming compensation
The long-term impact on a patient's quality of life, their independence and their ability to work can be devastated by a necrotising fasciitis infection. If this is caused or contributed to by substandard medical care, the law entitles you to make a claim for compensation.
If you or a family member are struggling with the impact of this terrible illness due to substandard medical care, contact Glynns Solicitors to discuss the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
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