Florida Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
When it comes to the top examples of wrongful death cases in Florida nursing homes, sepsis – particularly when caused by bedsores (also known as pressure ulcers) is a primary example. In fact, as our nursing home wrongful death attorneys in Orlando understand it, a recent report by Kaiser Health News and The Chicago Tribune reveals that despite the fact nursing homes around the country repeatedly fail to prevent bedsores and other infections leading to deadly cases of sepsis, there is no official source that tracks sepsis cases that turn fatal.
Sepsis is an infection of the bloodstream that can develop within patients who are bedridden if they have pneumonia, urinary tract infections or other conditions – like bedsores.
It’s imperative that plaintiffs who suspect an elderly loved one’s sepsis was the result of negligence discuss these options with a nursing home negligence attorney because the wrongful death statute of limitations in Florida is just two years. That may be just enough time to conduct a thorough investigation and properly prepare a claim – particularly if the case is considered a form of medical negligence. That’s because wrongful death statute pertaining to medical malpractice cases is even more complex because of requirements to file proper notice, retain an expert witness with the same relevant education and experience as defendant and making certain all defendants are properly identified.
The state wrongful death statute allows claims to be filed when one’s death is the result of negligence by staffers at a skilled nursing home facility.
Why Bedsores, Sepsis So Common as Examples of Wrongful Death Cases in Nursing Homes
Bedsores usually occur because someone in a skilled nursing facility or other full-time caregiver setting is not regularly turned in their bed. Turning a patient does require some training but not necessarily special skill, and it does need to happen regularly and often with the help of two or more aides. It’s precisely the kind of duty that can get shoved to the wayside when nurses are overworked or when facilities don’t prioritize staffing or proper training. This tends to be a more frequent occurrence at for-profit nursing home facilities, where our Orlando nursing home negligence attorneys have seen time and again: The bottom line is more important than the patient’s well-being.
And yet, the recent analysis of nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals and later died, some 25,000 suffered from sepsis, their treatment costing Medicare some $2 billion a year, based on data from 2012 to 2016. Of the roughly 6,000 nursing home patients transferred to hospitals while suffering from sepsis, an estimated 20 percent did not survive. One sepsis expert stated the public health problem is “enormous.” In some cases, the bill for individual patients neared half a million just for end-of-life care. And it shouldn’t happen, given that federal regulators mandate strict practices and standards to minimize the chances of sepsis infection, particularly where bedsores are concerned.
In a nursing home, we know that a “small” infection can easily give rise to something more serious, which is why holding nursing homes accountable in a wrongful death lawsuit is imperative. It’s justice for the individual patient and their family, but these examples of wrongful death cases also help ensure future patients are less likely to suffer the same fate.
Call Freeman Injury Law — 1-800-561-7777 for a free appointment to discuss your rights in a nursing home wrongful death case. Now serving Orlando, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Lauderdale.
Additional Resources:
Sepsis Infections Take Fatal Toll on Seniors, Sept. 6, 2018, By Kaiser Health News
More Blog Entries:
Nursing Home Abuse Intensifies Federal Oversight, Sept. 9, 2018, Orlando Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Blog