MRSA And Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have to go to the hospital that in itself is stressful enough. It does not matter if it is minor surgery or a severe illness, being away from your loved ones and home is not fun. Add to that the discomforts and procedures that you will have to endure, and it is safe to say that few people look forward to the experience. However, whenever you go in you expect that the staff there will make you feel better.
Unfortunately, not everyone leaves feeling better. Between 1999 and 2003 the number of deaths from MRSA doubled. Oftentimes, it was caught when the person was in the hospital. Suddenly, going in for routine treatment for appendicitis or a broken bone is no longer routine.
MRSA is a type of staphylococcus that is resistant to antibiotics. Many people carry this common bacterium on their skin with no problems. If the bacterium gets under the skin or into the lungs, it can develop into a more serious infection that is difficult to treat. The spread of MRSA infections is partly blamed on the overuse of antibiotics. Previously, antibiotics had been prescribed for viral infections even though they were ineffective against them. This in turn makes it harder for the body to fight infections, and stronger antibiotics have to be taken in order to cure the patient.
You catch MRSA through a carrier person. If you are already sick or recovering, it is easy for the bacteria to make the jump into your system and cause a serious infection. In a hospital situation, where nurses can transmit disease from one patient to another, this becomes a serious problem. In turn, this has caused an increase in personal injury lawsuits made against hospitals and other health care providers.
There is a broad range of symptoms associated with MRSA, and they depend on which part of your body has been infected. Surgical wounds, burns, catheter sites, eyes, skin, and blood are common infection sites. Many patients will have pain and swelling at the site of the infection. Untreated infections can become severe, resulting in abscesses, fevers, chills, or even death.
Cleanliness of your hospital is extremely important, since MRSA can be transferred from one patient to another through the staff. Watch that any attendees wash their hands and make use of antibacterial spray or gel each time they enter your room. If your hospital provides alarms for hygiene risk, use this for any spills or other contaminants. Encourage any visitors to your room to wash their hands as well.
If you become infected with MRSA while in the hospital for a different reason, as in a surgery, you may be able to make a personal injury claim against the hospital. You will have to be able to prove that your infection was caused by a lack of cleanliness. This can be difficult to do in an isolated case, but if there have been several cases of MRSA among the patients there at the same time you may have luck winning your suit. You will want to talk to a personal injury lawyer about your personal circumstances to find out what legal rights you have and to properly file your personal injury claim.
