Infections occur when viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms find their way into the human body and multiply at an unchecked rate. People are particularly susceptible to infections when their immune systems are compromised, such as when they have other injuries that prompt them to seek medical treatment or become hospitalized. When healthcare providers fail to take proper precautions, infections may result.

Other instances of infection medical malpractice include failure to properly diagnose or treat existing infections. If an infection becomes serious, this may result in permanent injuries to the patient’s vital organs, or potentially even death. David A. Axelrod & Associates fights for patients who have been injured by infection medical malpractice.

Other Medical Malpractice Infections

Examples of instances in which medical malpractice may result in a patient suffering an infection include:

• Failing to properly diagnose an infection precluding swift and necessary treatment
• Using improperly sterilized equipment or failing to use appropriate sanitation methods during surgery, leading to post-surgical infection
• Long waits in the emergency room while a critical infection worsens, such as with septic infections, which can cause death
• Rendering inconsistent treatment, inadvertently aggravating an existing infection
• Prescribing the wrong medication which, rather than abating the symptoms of an infection, aggravates them, resulting in severe injury
• Failure to properly diagnose other medical conditions in areas of the body that are particularly prone to infection if unhealthy, such as the prostate
• Improper installation or maintenance of equipment used for treatment (such as catheters, IVs, or even mediports for chemo)

Nosocomial and Hospital-Acquired Infections

Nosocomial infections, or Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) are infections caused or facilitated by the hospital environment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nosocomial infections cause approximately 100,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

Types of nosocomial infections range from pneumonia to blood infections to urinary tract infections (UTIs), the last being the most common form of hospital-acquired infection due to catheter use. Acquiring pneumonia in a hospital is of particular concern for patients on ventilators, who suffer an increased rate of death if infected. In other instances, patients may contract infections such as HIV or hepatitis from improperly administered blood transfusions.

David A. Axelrod & Associates: Proven Results in Surgical Infection Cases

David A. Axelrod & Associates has successfully represented clients involving surgical infections. In one such case, David A. Axelrod & Associates collected $4.5 million from Northwestern Memorial Hospital for failing to diagnose and treat an ongoing surgical infection. This infection caused the patient to suffer septic shock, multi-organ tissue failure, nine years of chronic illness and suffering and, ultimately, death.

David A. Axelrod & Associates also recovered $925,000 from Holy Cross Hospital and a surgeon who failed to properly monitor a wound infection in a 76-year-old woman when the infection ultimately spread into her blood stream and caused her death.

In another case, a jury awarded David A. Axelrod & Associates $814,444 against a cardiac surgery practice because of a doctor’s failure to timely diagnose and treat a surgical infection, causing the patient to lose his sternum.