Those in nursing homes and long-term care spend a majority of their time in bed. These patients risk diseases and sores if not properly cared for by health care workers. Those taking care of nursing home patients should know the signs of bed sores and serious infections.
If bed sores go untreated and unrecognized, this can lead to a more serious infections, amputations, or even death. Typically, bed sores are a sign of nursing home neglect and no one under the care of a health care worker should lose their life due to bed sores. When a patient develops a serious infection or worse, the nursing home may be liable for negligence.
What are Bedsores?
Bedsores are skin lesions brought on by sustained pressure on the body’s skeletal regions. They progress swiftly, heal slowly, are prone to infection, and develop quickly. Bedsores are categorized in four stages depending on their degree of severity.
The pressure that caused stage 1 and stage 2 bedsores can typically be relieved with minimal treatment. Stage 3 or Stage 4 bedsores necessitate more intensive treatments, such as wound-care procedures that involve the removal of contaminated tissue and bandaging of the affected area.
When bedsores go untreated, they can develop past these stages into a more serious and life-threating infection.
Who is Prone to Bedsores?
Death and bedsores are more common in people 64 years of age and older. Additionally, according to the CDC, up to 28% of all nursing home residents experience bedsores at some point.
The majority of nursing home residents have a number of risk factors, such as incontinence, sensory impairment, and immobility. When blood flow is already compromised due to a chronic condition that affects circulation, bedsores are more prone to develop. As a result, people who have been diagnosed with hypoxia, coronary artery disease, diabetes of any kind, hypotension, stroke, or hypotension are at higher risk.
Nursing homes by far report more bedsore cases in patients or residents than other entities, such as acute care hospitals or managed mid-term care facilities. In the United States, according to recent data, at least 150,000 patients or residents will go through some stage of bedsores in a given year.
Bedsores Fatality Statistics
Thousands of deaths are attributed to pressure ulcers each year in the United States because they are linked to severe septic infections.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services reports that each year, pressure ulcers directly cause 60,000 patient deaths. This equates to 6.85 fatalities each hour. Each year, pressure ulcers are the subject of more than 17,000 lawsuits, which is the second highest claim after a wrongful death.
Those that bring a case for bedsore infection or death are more likely than other personal injury cases to succeed. Roughly 90% of all nursing home neglect cases have resulted in a win.
Elderly Abuse Attorneys
If you or a loved one has experienced serious injury or death due to bed sores, the nursing home is likely liable. Contact experienced attorney Joel Bryant today for a free consultation regarding your case. Reach us by phone at (619) 597-2577 or through our online form.