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Hospital Infection Lawsuit

Hospital-acquired infections are a significant cause of injury and death in the United States, responsible for an estimated 1.7 million infections and nearly 100,000 deaths per year. The most common types are staph infections, pneumonia, bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hospital infection induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by a hospital-acquired infection, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Medical Malpractice Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

$9.5 Million Settlement in Hospital Infection Lawsuit for Flesh-Eating Bacteria

September 2013 – Monica Sprague Jorge has agreed to a $9.5 million settlement in a hospital infection lawsuit filed against Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts. Six years ago, Jorge was infected with flesh-eating bacteria (necrotizing fasciitis) after undergoing a C-section to give birth to her daughter.

She alleges that her caregivers failed to diagnose and treat her infection properly. She has required more than 40 surgeries to remove her arms, legs, uterus, ovaries, gallbladder, and part of her intestines.

Hospital Infection Information

Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI)  are infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that occur in patients who receive medical care (surgery, catheters, ventilation, injections, etc.). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 1 in 20 hospitalized patients develop an infection.

In addition to physical pain and suffering, hospital infections be financially devastating, adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of treatment. In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections, which can cause severe injury and death.

Types of Hospital-Acquired Infections

  • Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE): A family of antibiotic-resistant germs that can cause deadly infections in 40-50% of victims. Outbreaks of CRE have been linked to duodenoscopes that are nearly impossible to sterilize.
  • Catheter-assisted urinary tract infections: This is one of the most preventable hospital infections, because it often occurs when a catheter is left in a patient for too long. UTIs are infections of the urethra, bladder, ureters, and/or kidneys.
  • Ventilator-assisted pneumonia: This is a serious lung infection that occurs in people on a mechanical ventilator machine.
  • Clostridium difficile: This staph infection causes a gastrointestinal infection and diarrhea that is estimated to cause 14,000 American deaths every year, mostly in the elderly.
  • Surgical Site Infections (SSIs): These infections can be superficial skin infections or serious, life-threatening tissue and organ infections. SSIs include necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria), which is fatal in 30-40% of cases.
  • Meningitis: This is an infection of the protective lining around the brain and spinal cord (meninges). In 2012, an outbreak of fungal meningitis was injured 750 people and led to 63 deaths. The outbreak was linked to contaminated vials of an epidural steroid used to treat back pain in outpatient clinics.
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA): This extremely dangerous staph infection is caused by bacteria that are not killed by standard antibiotics (penicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin).
  • Sepsis: This is a bloodstream infection that can lead to septic shock — a whole-body allergic reaction that can cause multi-organ system failure and death.
  • And more

Symptoms of a Surgical Site Infection

  • Infected surgical wound is red, swollen, hot, painful
  • Wound seeps pus or discharge
  • Foul-smelling wound
  • Swelling beyond the surgical area
  • Low-blood pressure
  • High body temperature (fever) or low body temperature (chills)
  • Fatigue
  • Confusion
  • And more

Hospital Infections Cost U.S. Taxpayer $10 Billion per Year

JAMA Internal Medicine published a study in September 2013 estimating that the U.S. healthcare system pays almost $10 billion a year to treat hospital-acquired infections, many of which are preventable.

Average cost of treatment for common hospital infections:

  • Bloodstream infections — $45,000
  • Ventilator-assisted pneumonia — $40,000
  • Surgical site infections — $21,000
  • Clostridium difficile — $11,000
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infection — $900

How Can a Lawyer Help?

You should contact a lawyer if you develop an infection within two weeks after leaving a hospital. Our medical malpractice lawyers can evaluate your case for free. If you decide to pursue a claim, we can review your medical records to see if your injury may have been caused by an inadequate standard of care. You may qualify to file a lawsuit if evidence suggests your injury was caused by delayed diagnosis or negligence.

Do I have a Hospital Infection Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hospital infection induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was injured by a hospital-acquired infection, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Medical Malpractice Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.

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