Failure to Diagnose or Treat Infections in Florida

Infections are a common medical problem. Many of these infections are caused by the negligence of health care professionals, sometimes called Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). Physicians and surgeons have a duty to help the patient avoid infection during medical procedures. Health care professionals also have a duty to carefully monitor the patient after surgery and other medical procedures to promptly and correctly treat an infection. Early intervention can greatly decrease the impact of a post-operative and other infection acquired in the medical facility.

When physicians, surgeons and other health care professionals fail to properly protect a patient from post-operative infections, the patient may have way to recover money damages to pay for their damages. The attorneys at Levine & Glassman, P.A., are experienced in pursuing these personal injury and medical malpractice cases for patiens who are the victims of post-operative and other infections aquired in healthcare facilities throughout the greater Weston / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami area, and throughout the State of Florida.

Florida Failure to Diagnose or Treat Infections Attorneys

Lisa Levine focuses in the areas of medical malpractice that affect women, including failure to diagnose breast and cervical cancer, plastic surgery errors, birth injuries, delivery room negligence and defective drugs used by women. It is possible for infections to occur with any medical procedure. It is the physician’s duty to lower the risk of complications for all procedures. She prides herself on her dedication to women’s health issues, and has been featured on Good Morning America and NBC News.

Mark Glassman focuses a great deal of his practices on injuries resulting from defective and dangerous drugs, as well as pharmaceutical litigation, and wrongful death litigation. Sometimes failure to treat infections can lead to death or serious permanent injury. Mr. Glassman has been involved in pharmaceutical cases involving the infamous diet drug, Fen-Phen, and his cases have been highlighted in professional journals such as The Daily Business Review and Contractor Magazine.

Failure to Diagnose or Treat Infections Information Center

• What are some common post operative complications?
• What are some signs and symptoms of a post operative infection?
• What are the consequences of post operative infections?
• How can post operative infections be prevented?
• How we can help

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What are some common post operative complications?

Every type of operation has a specific set of risks and complications. It is the physician’s duty to go over all possible complications and risks with the patient before the operation. The following list is just common possible complications. These complications may occur without any medical malpractice present. Only an experience personal injury attorney can evaluate the case and determine whether medical malpractice or negligence is present.

• Fever- a rise in body temperature. Sometimes indicated infection
• Wound infection- infection around the incision site.
• Embolism- the obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance such as a blood clot that blocks the vessel. Examples are a pulmonary embolism which is a blockage in the lungs and a coronary embolism which is a blockage in the heart.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis- A type of blood clot that forms deep in the body usually in leg veins. It is extremely dangerous because it is possible for the clot to move to the lungs or heart causing embolisms which damage organs and could result in death.
• Shock- A condition where the main organs and tissues in the body do not receive adequate blood supply. If not treated immediately the organs and tissues are deprived of oxygen and serious bodily harm or death can result from shock.
• Pneumonia- an infection in the lungs. If caught after surgery then it is probably due to bacteria found in the hospital.
• Sepsis- a type of infection that spreads to the rest of the body through the bloodstream. Typically sepsis stems from untreated infections such as pneumonia, bedsores, or urinary tract infections.

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What are some signs and symptoms of a post operative infection?

For the most part common signs of post operative infection include:

• Malaise (tired/lack of energy)
• Fever
• Swelling at incision site
• Redness at incision site
• Increased Pain

It is normal to have these pain and malaise after most surgical procedures. After a few days the swelling and pain and fatigue should decrease considerably. It depends on the type of operation or procedure so check with your doctor about the normal recovery time and rate for your procedure.

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What are the consequences of post operative infections?

The consequences of post operative infections are typically increased financial costs to the patient, a longer period of hospitalization, pain and suffering, and the increased likelihood of more procedures to treat the complications.

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How can post operative infections be prevented?

It is impossible to prevent all complications. All medical procedures have a certain degree of risk. Surgeons and physicians can mitigate the risk of infection by following proper techniques and infection control guidelines set out by hospitals and the American Medical Association.

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How we can help

The attorneys at Levine and Glassman know that many people can have complications after medical procedures and surgeries. Some of these complications are inevitable even with the best of care. However when surgeons and doctors fail to diagnose and treat infections then it is consider medical malpractice. If you or a loved one think an infection could have been avoided or treated sooner, contact the personal injury attorneys at Levine and Glassman, P.A. Our experienced attorneys welcome your call to discuss the particular facts of your case.

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Resources

Florida Board of Medicine - information about the Board of Medicine and how to file an online complaint.

Northwest Florida Infection Control Practitioners - provides scientific based principles and practices to health departments, hospitals, nursing homes and the community to promote best practices and safety measures to prevent infections.

Healthcare-Associated Infections - Not on My Watch - Kimberly-Clark Health Care launched "Not on My Watch," a website that provides tools and information to help facilities eliminate Infections Acquired in a Healthcare Facility. "Not On My Watch" discusses the fact that the vast majority of healthcare-associated infections fall into three types of causes:

• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) - VAP may account for more than one-half of the deaths from healthcare-associated infections in the United States. In fact, those pneumonia patients that are treated with mechanical ventilation have a much higher risk of acquiring an infection in the healthcare facility than do pneumonia patients that do not receive mechanical ventilation.

• Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) - infections that occur at the site of surgery after any breach of the skin occur all too frequently. In fact, it has been estimated that up to 10% of surgical patients develop an infection at the surgical site which can lead to delay recovery and ultimately result in death. Physicians and nurses can cause surgical site infections because the instruments are contaminated, bacterial cross contamination, skin flora resulting in contamination at the incision location, and problems after surgical hypothermia.

• Contact Transfers (Cross Contamination) - When a health care worker fails to disinfect or wash their hands properly then dangerous germs can spread and create resistance to antibiotics. Serious risks to the patient often result. Likewise, healthcare providers must use gloves, personal protective apparel and masks appropriately to prevent infections in the healthcare facility.

Levine & Glassman, P.A. | Florida Failure to Diagnose or Treat Infections Attorneys

If you or a loved one has suffered complications from a surgical procedure, you need to ensure you are well represented. The complications suffered could have been avoided and may have lasting consequences that can affect the quality of life for years to come.

The attorneys at Levine & Glassman are experienced medical malpractice attorneys and are able to ensure that you receive fair compensation for the damages you or your loved one suffered. If you are anywhere in Florida, including: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, or the surrounding areas of Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach counties, contact Levine & Glassman for an analysis of your failure to diagnose or treat infections case.