Emergency Care Failings and Necrotising Fasciitis Compensation
Failing to diagnose and treat necrotising fasciitis can be catastrophic and may justify a claim for compensation for medical negligence.
Necrotising fasciitis is a medical emergency.
This appalling infection can prove deadly within a matter of days. Not only is it responsible for the decay of all tissue it infects, but it also spreads through the body at an alarming rate, meaning that, unless medical intervention takes place promptly, the patient may not survive.
The speed with which a medical diagnosis is made and treatment commenced is also crucial to the quality of life of those patients who survive. The greater the delay in diagnosis and care, the more the infection is likely to have spread through the body.
Since the only treatment for this shocking infection is the surgical removal of all infected tissue, it is essential that diagnosis is made as soon as possible. Any delay will mean that the patient loses more extensive areas of tissue, suffering increasing deformity and disability. This may even extend to the need for a limb to be amputated or significant areas of the abdomen and bowel to be removed.
The patient will then require extensive reconstructive surgery, putting the body under further strain. The psychological impact of this life-changing infection and the necessary treatment can also, not surprisingly, be devastating.
The right to compensation
If a patient suffers a poor outcome due to medical failings, they are legally entitled to make a claim for compensation for the effects of that negligence.
Where a delay in diagnosis and treatment has left a patient unable to work, their financial losses would be included in a successful claim.
Negligent care of necrotising fasciitis
Examples of negligent medical care of this life-threatening infection would include the following:
- A failure to recognise or suspect the possible symptoms of intense pain, swelling, tenderness and discolouration in the region of a wound or cut
- A misdiagnosis of symptoms, leading to a delay in correct diagnosis
- A delay in a referral for investigation or surgery
- A delay in initiating debridement surgery
Speak to a legal specialist
If you or a loved one are struggling with the appalling consequences of a delay in medical care of necrotising fasciitis, contact Glynns Solicitors today.
Glynns is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a team of experienced, specialist lawyers. Contact us to speak with a specialist, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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