Nursing home residents are often vulnerable to illnesses and infections. When not quickly and properly treated, infections can lead to sepsis, which can be deadly.
Any type of infection can result in sepsis, so it is critical that all illnesses and infections are adequately monitored for signs of progression. When nursing home facilities fail to provide the standard of care required, patients are at an increased risk of developing sepsis.
What Is Sepsis?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection. The infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to work poorly.”
The Mayo Clinic goes on to explain that sepsis can lead to septic shock, which is a significant drop in blood pressure that may damage organs. When organ damage is severe, it can be fatal.
While most patients recover from mild sepsis, septic shock patients have a mortality rate of thirty to forty percent.
What Causes Sepsis in Nursing Home Residents?
Infection is the most common risk factor for sepsis in elderly patients, although not all infections lead to sepsis. Sepsis happens when an infection advances and enters the bloodstream.
Many illnesses can cause infection and lead to sepsis in a nursing home. Some of those illnesses include MRSA, Influenza, C. Difficile, Gastroenteritis, and common colds.
Elderly residents of nursing homes and those in hospital settings are more susceptible to sepsis. Those with a weakened immune system, diabetes, kidney, lung, or heart disease, and other chronic illnesses are also at a higher risk.
Elderly residents often have a more vulnerable and fragile immune system, which puts them at greater risk of developing sepsis. Additionally, nursing home residents and hospital patients often need catheters, feeding tubes, and IVs, which increase the chances of developing an infection that can lead to sepsis.
What Are the Warning Signs of Sepsis in a Nursing Home Resident?
Sepsis can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages because many patients do not have symptoms until it has progressed. Additionally, symptoms that do appear can be similar to those associated with other conditions such as diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular disease.
However, because sepsis is more common in nursing home residents and can quickly become life-threatening, nursing home staff should be alert to warning signs the body may provide. Some warning signs of sepsis in nursing home residents may include:
- Confusion.
- Fever.
- Shivering.
- Shortness of breath.
- Lightheadedness.
- Fast heart rate.
- Low urine output.
- Sweating.
- Severe pain.
- Low blood pressure.
- Pale skin.
- Skin rash.
- Lethargy.
- Warm skin.
- Lethargy.
- Slurred speech.
- Dusky or mottled skin.
- Changes in mental status.
Patients have a better chance of survival when sepsis is diagnosed early. Nursing home residents with sepsis require close monitoring and will likely be admitted to a hospital intensive care unit.
Is a Nursing Home Liable For a Resident’s Sepsis?
Sepsis is not always caused by a nursing home’s negligence, but it can be. However, sepsis often happens when a UTI, wound, injury, or illness fails to receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
When a nursing home fails to recognize and order treatment for a resident’s illness or fails to administer medication properly, sepsis can result. Additionally, when nursing home facilities are not clean or when a resident is abused, sepsis is more likely to happen.
So, if a nursing home’s negligence causes sepsis or fails to recognize and order proper treatment for sepsis, it can be held liable for the resulting harm.
How Can Sepsis Be Prevented?
The risk of sepsis can be reduced by diligent attention and care of nursing home residents and the facility. Some prevention methods include:
- Helping residents wash their hands, bathe, and clean regularly.
- Promptly treating wounds and injuries adequately to prevent infection.
- Adhering to strict infection control protocols.
- Closely monitoring residents with illnesses or injuries to ensure they are recovering as expected.
- Immediately transferring a resident to the hospital when any signs of sepsis appear.
Schedule a Free Consultation To Discuss Your Nursing Home Sepsis Case
If you or your loved one developed sepsis as a nursing home resident, you may have the right to recover compensation for your damages.
It is not easy to prove that a nursing home is liable for sepsis. It requires the skills and resources of an experienced nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer.
Our attorneys have over thirty years of experience successfully protecting the rights of nursing home injury victims. We hold negligent nursing homes responsible for the harm they cause and help you recover maximum compensation.
Call (770) 865-8645 or visit our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.