Oregon Infection and Sepsis Lawyers - Bend/Portland, OR

You do not need to be a medical doctor to know that an infection is a dangerous health complication.  This is particularly true in nursing homes were residents already have compromised immune systems or a weaker and more susceptible overall general health.  Even minor infections to nursing home residents could result in significant and catastrophic injuries, including wrongful death.  Other injuries such as amputation, nerve injuries, and brain damage could also be caused by an infection or the dangerous response to an infection known as a septic response.  If you or a loved one have suffered from an infection or sepsis in an Oregon nursing home, ask our Oregon infection and sepsis lawyers whether your loved one has been harmed due to the negligence of a healthcare provider.

What is an Infection?

An infection is an invasion of a foreign body or substance into your body such as bacteria, viral, fungal, or other types of infectious agents.  An infection is dangerous because it can impair the proper functioning of a resident’s body.  It can also result in serious personal injury such as tissue damage, nerve damage, and blood vessel damage.  Infections can even cause organ damage, including to a resident’s brain.  Infections are often easily treated with antibiotics, but if infections are allowed to fester they could result in permanent tissue damage, organ damage, or lead to sepsis.

What is Sepsis?

Sepsis is when an infection becomes so prolific that the resident’s body system reacts by flooding the bloodstream with a strong immune system response.  This immune system response is adept at killing the infectious agent, but it is also very caustic and damaging to the body which causes collateral damage to the body.  In strong and uncontrolled septic reactions, the damage to the body could be so severe that it could result in amputations and damage to other parts of the body.  Septic shock is also a possibility in completely uncontrolled sepsis reactions, which could result in the wrongful death of a patient.

Why Infections and Sepsis are Misdiagnosed

Nursing homes, hospitals, and other rehabilitation centers may misdiagnose or delay in diagnosing infection or sepsis for several reasons.  The most common reasons are due to understaffing and inexperienced or poorly trained staff.  This is because the healthcare industry, especially for nursing homes, is all about the bottom line.  They are a business.  The largest business expense for most healthcare facilities is staffing.  If a nursing home can get by with one less staff member, that could save a significant amount of money in salary.  This means a fatter bottom line, even if it means cutting some corners on healthcare for residents.

But cutting corners for healthcare also means worse care for residents.  Little things such as a mild temperature or an overall feeling of illness could be easily missed by an understaffed facility, especially if the only caregiver is rushing to treat double or triple the residents he or she should be assigned to.  This allows an infection to grow into sepsis or into an infection which could ultimately cause the wrongful death of a resident.

Damages for Victims of Oregon Nursing Home Malpractice Due to Infection and Sepsis Misdiagnoses

When an infection or sepsis is misdiagnosed or not diagnosed, residents of Oregon nursing homes may be seriously injured or even wrongfully killed.  This entitles residents and their families to “damages” under Oregon law.  Damages are typically monetary compensation in personal injury actions.  Victims and their families who have suffered infections or sepsis due to nursing home malpractice may be entitled to the following damages:

• Past pain and suffering;
• Future pain and suffering;
• Medical bills, both past from the negligent facility and in the future;
• Future nursing care;
• Medical equipment care;
• Non-medical equipment care, such as prosthetics due to an amputation;
• In wrongful death cases, funeral and burial expenses; and
• Other damages.

Bend/Portland, Oregon Infection and Sepsis Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect contact the Oregon Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take Nursing Home Abuse cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.