Can I Sue my Hospital for Necrotising Fasciitis?
If you are suffering with the long-term impact of this appalling bacterial infection due to failings by your hospital, you might be able to make a claim for compensation.
Necrotising fasciitis in hospital
Patients undergoing surgical procedures in hospital are susceptible to developing necrotising fasciitis. If your hospital fails to prevent or diagnose this shocking illness, the medical professionals responsible might be regarded as having provided you with a substandard level of care.
Prophylactic antibiotics
In some circumstances, it is considered necessary to give antibiotics to a patient before undergoing surgery. This is in order to assist the patient in fighting off any possible infection. Where an 'at-risk' patient (perhaps someone with diabetes) does not receive prophylactic antibiotics when it might generally have been felt suitable to provide them, and then succumbs to necrotising fasciitis, the hospital may be regarded as having been negligent.
Post-operative monitoring
Patients who have undergone invasive procedures (both small and large) are vulnerable to infection and should be monitored closely for signs of this developing. Necrotising fasciitis tends to develop either in the abdominal region or the extremities so patients whose surgery has affected these regions should receive particular attention.
Where a patient develops signs which might be indicative of necrotising fasciitis, there should be an emergency response. Such signs could include extreme pain, redness and swelling in the region of their wound. The patient might also be starting to exhibit signs of infection such as a high temperature.
We have found that such symptoms can be easily ignored and underestimated in their significance, allowing the infection to develop and causing the patient to have a significantly worse outcome.
'At-risk' patients
As mentioned earlier, some patients are at a higher risk of contracting this illness and should, therefore, be very closely monitored. A failure to consider the broader patient context, such as age, weight and existing medical conditions, and adapt a care plan appropriately, may be considered to have been negligent.
Medical negligence
If the diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis is delayed, the consequences are likely to be devastating, leaving the patient scarred and disabled in some way. For some patients, the delay may be too long and they may die of multiple organ failure.
If medical professionals are found to have contributed in some way to the patient's suffering from necrotising fasciitis, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
Speak to a solicitor
Contact us today if you or a loved one are suffering with the long-term impact of necrotising fasciitis due to failings by your hospital. A specialist medical negligence solicitor will discuss your situation with you and advise you as to whether a compensation claim would be appropriate.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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