You trust that you’ll get adequate care when you visit a medical professional. That trust isn’t always warranted, however. Medical malpractice is a serious issue that involves not receiving adequate care and can lead to all types of injuries, including the development of sepsis. What is sepsis? Symptoms and causes can vary, but all too often, it’s the result of negligence.
You could be entitled to compensation if you’ve developed sepsis because of medical malpractice. Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers can help you recover damages if you’ve suffered due to someone else’s negligent or wrongful conduct in Atlanta, GA.
Contact our law office at (770) 390-7550 for a free case review to discuss your legal options.
How Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Sepsis Injury Claim in Atlanta, GA
When a medical professional doesn’t live up to the level of care that you expect, you can suffer injuries that leave you struggling with long-term health consequences. This can result in mounting bills that you may not know how to pay. One of the options you have is to contact an Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer for assistance.
At Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers, our team can help you understand your rights and file a claim to recover damages.
We can:
- Assess your claim during a free consultation
- Investigate the malpractice
- Gather evidence that shows you experienced sepsis because of malpractice
- Negotiate with insurance companies and other involved parties
- Take your case to court, if necessary
We have worked on all manner of complex medical malpractice cases, from those involving birth injuries to wrongful death claims. Our decades of experience and our dedication to each of our clients allow us to provide tenacious representation. Contact us to speak with one of our medical malpractice lawyers in Atlanta, Georgia.
What Is Sepsis? The Symptoms and Why It Happens
Sepsis is your body’s extreme response to an infection. Your infection-fighting mechanisms don’t work as they should, leading to decreased organ function and a system-wide shock response. Sepsis is a medical emergency.
When your immune system recognizes a bacteria, fungus, or virus, it releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight off the invaders. If these chemicals trigger an extreme inflammatory response throughout your body, your organs are quickly put under stress and can start to fail.
Symptoms can develop rapidly and include:
- Nausea
- Appetite loss
- Vomiting
- High fever
- Light sensitivity
- Fast, shallow breathing
- Change in mental state
- Low blood pressure
- Fast heart rate
- Anxiety
- Extreme pain
- Clammy or sweaty skin
- Rashes
If sepsis progresses into septic shock, you may not be able to stand up, you could have trouble staying awake, and you could experience extreme confusion. Septic shock can be fatal.
Any type of infection can lead to the development of sepsis, including viral, bacterial, or fungal infections.
Often, sepsis is connected to infections of the:
- Digestive system
- Lungs
- Bladder
- Bloodstream
Wounds or burns can also cause sepsis if they’re not treated correctly or in a timely manner.
How Medical Malpractice Can Lead To Sepsis
If you walk into a hospital with signs of an infection, a reasonably competent physician would begin treatment immediately. That’s not always what happens. The provider could delay in giving the correct diagnosis or not begin treatment until the infection has led to sepsis. These are both examples of medical malpractice.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are also a problem. These can sometimes occur if the hospital staff is negligent.
Some examples of medical negligence that can result in sepsis are:
- Poor sanitation practices
- Administering the wrong antibiotics
- Failing to administer the right amount of fluids
- Not performing the right lab tests
- Poor healing of surgical wounds
- Failing to clean IV lines correctly
Another problem that’s present in hospitals as well as other healthcare facilities, especially when dealing with patients who have mobility issues, is bedsores. Bedsores occur when a patient lies in the same position, putting so much pressure on the area that it blocks blood flow. That leads to wounds that can rapidly become infected.
If you suffered an infection because of negligent conduct from any member of your care team, you could have a right to file a claim to get compensation. Because of how complex these cases are, you need to have a lawyer by your side.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation With Our Atlanta Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Sepsis is a serious health issue that can often be the result of medical negligence. At Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers, our team of Atlanta medical malpractice attorneys can help you file a claim so that you’re able to obtain compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional distress.
To learn more about the process, schedule a free consultation with one of our Georgia medical malpractice lawyers.