Hospital Infections

The human body is capable of extraordinary things, especially the immune system. While healthy people can fight off many infections, a weakened immune system can lead to much more serious repercussions for patients. When you are exposed to aggressive pathogens commonly found in hospital settings, you can develop secondary conditions that make you even sicker.

It’s vital to understand how hospital infections happen, how to prevent them, and what to do if you believe your illness was caused by medical negligence or medical malpractice. In many cases, you may need legal advice and representation to hold the liable parties accountable for their actions.

Hospital Acquired Infections Are Very Common

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a study of acute care hospitals found that “on any given day, about 1 in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.” These healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) arise in over 700,000 patients each year and are responsible for approximately 75,000 annual patient deaths. This study did not include infections received from doctors’ offices, clinics, labs, imaging facilities, and other healthcare providers.

What is truly tragic is that most of these infections are preventable and they often occur due to a lack of properly maintained medical facilities and/or equipment. This can include anything from dirty equipment to unchanged bed sheets, unsterilized or reused syringes, and doctors not washing their hands in between patients.

Healthcare providers owe each patient a duty of care to maintain a healthy and safe environment, especially when individuals are already injured or ill. When they fail to follow protocols and procedures meant to keep patients from getting sicker, both they and the facilities they work for can be found at fault. Victims can pursue a medical malpractice insurance claim or a malpractice lawsuit for compensation.

How Patients Contract Healthcare-Associated Infections

Patients seek medical care for a variety of reasons in many kinds of care facilities. Regardless of why they are staying in a hospital, nursing home, or rehabilitation center, all patients deserve care that meets state and federal safety standards. When the care facility violates any of these regulations, including those around general sanitation, susceptible patients can suffer further illness.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon for a patient to undergo treatment for an ailment only to later become sick after being exposed to bacteria and germs while receiving care. This applies to patients who seek medical treatment or have extended stays in long-term care at nursing homes, emergency rooms, hospitals, and clinics.

These facilities are required to provide a sanitary environment as well as administer quality care to patients in a manner that does not cause them further harm or inflict additional injuries or pain. When facilities fail to do this, patients are at a greater risk of contracting an infection that not only inhibits their initial recovery but also puts them at greater risk for additional life-altering medical consequences.

Common Hospital Infections

These HAIs can affect healthy people who are in the hospital for surgery or other procedures. However, many individuals with underlying health conditions or who are immunocompromised are especially susceptible to acquiring a secondary infection from inadequate care. While some infections are mild and can be treated with over-the-counter medicine, others are far more severe.

Hospital-acquired infections can often be fatal due to the severity and aggressive nature of bacteria and viruses that incubate in healthcare facilities. These infections can lead to catastrophic injury and death if left untreated or misdiagnosed. Some of the most common hospital-acquired infections include:

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs)

A central line is a catheter physicians place into a large vein in either a patient’s neck, chest, or groin area. These lines provide medication and fluids, as well as collect blood for testing. Given the placement and sensitive nature of a central line, an infection can quickly become deadly for patients. Bacteria cause infections to enter the bloodstream through the central line.

Hospital-acquired infections can result when healthcare providers fail to follow correct procedures, such as when:

• The central line is placed incorrectly.
• The central line is not removed in a timely manner.
• The patient’s skin is not properly cleaned and sanitized prior to, during, and after central line removal.
• Any physician, nurse, or healthcare staff member fails to use proper hand-cleaning and hygiene procedures.
• Healthcare providers fail to use proper sterile personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, masks, and more).

Individuals with CLABIs are often in the hospital for several days at a time. This can increase their risk of HAI due to the extended time period and increased number of staff members they have contact with each day and night. When these providers are treating multiple patients in concentrated care units, a single mistake in following procedures can lead to additional illness for you as a patient.

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

Urinary tract infections refer to any infection that involves the urinary system, including the bladder, urethra, ureters, and kidneys. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of HAI. According to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), around 75% of all UTIs are contracted from a urinary catheter.

Hospital and care facility patients are frequently given urinary catheters, often at the rate of 15-25% for hospitalized individuals. That makes the statistic of 75% of UTIs coming from catheters particularly alarming. Sadly, even common patient care procedures can be easily mishandled or neglected by healthcare staff.

Urinary catheters can become a source of infection that can spread throughout the urinary system due to the improper hand hygiene of healthcare providers. They also occur from patient neglect when caregivers leave a catheter in a patient for too long or they fail to provide adequate hygiene, including regular baths and removal of waste collectors. When the urinary tract becomes infected, it is easy for the problem to move to the kidneys, which can cause substantial illness and damage to all the body’s systems.

Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

Every surgery performed on a patient, whether an outpatient procedure or a major operation, is a serious event. All healthcare professionals involved in the treatment are required to strictly adhere to medical safety and hygiene standards. Surgical patients are not only susceptible to surgical errors, but they are at grave risk of contracting an infection in the operating room.

Surgical site infections occur in the area of the body that underwent surgery. Surgical site infections can manifest superficially (on the skin) or go on to attack other body tissues and organs. For this reason, preoperative preparation is crucial to patient safety. Surgeons and operating room staff are required to ensure proper hand hygiene, all surgical instruments are sanitized, clean personal protective equipment is worn by all, and prep patients by cleaning the skin, sanitizing, and removing hair near the surgical site.

In situations where a patient is expected to recover fully from the condition that made the surgery necessary, falling ill to an SSI could mean they take longer to heal. They may even suffer a setback if the infection spreads and causes sepsis or other illnesses. Careful investigation is required to determine what happened and who is to blame for the additional injury or sickness.

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP)

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is an infection that occurs in the lungs due to the use of a ventilator. Patients who are put on ventilators require an oxygen tube to be placed in either their mouth, nose, or through a hole in their neck. Oxygen tubes depend on thorough sanitization, proper administration, and timely removal to avoid infection.

When a patient requires the use of a ventilator to breathe, a lung infection can be fatal. Along with sanitization of the equipment, proper air cleaning and general sanitation procedures are important. Airborne germs can concentrate in a patient’s room unless the building has medical-grade air treatment equipment in use.

Severe Forms of Hospital Infections

Because hospitals house sick patients, these medical facilities are also home to rare bacteria that people would not normally encounter in their daily lives. While patients may need to be in the hospital for treatment or surgery, they should realize that they risk exposure to uncommon infections, such as:

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, is often found at facilities that treat STDs.
• Meningitis, which affects the spine and brain.
• Toxemia, which causes a release of bacterial toxins within the bloodstream.
• Influenza in any form can be problematic, but in some cases, it can be deadly.
• When staphylococcus aureus or staph infection is left untreated, the infection enters the bloodstream, where it can be hazardous and can even cause death.
• Clostridium difficile colitis results from the disruption of normal healthy bacteria in the colon and can also be transmitted from person to person by spores. It can cause severe damage to the colon and even be fatal.
• Hospital-acquired pneumonia refers to any pneumonia contracted by a patient in a hospital at least 48–72 hours after being admitted that is usually caused by a bacterial infection rather than a virus.
• Enterobacteriaceae are a large family of different types of germs (bacteria) that commonly cause infections in healthcare settings. Escherichia coli (E. coli) can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Infections

While the main responsibility for preventing infections or injury in the hospital rests on the shoulders of your healthcare team, there are actions you can take to keep yourself safe. If you know you will be entering the hospital for surgery or find yourself there after an accident, there are ways you can keep visitors and staff in line with hygiene standards. You can do your part to avoid HAIs by following these recommendations:

• Ask hospital staff how they are keeping you safe: It may seem rude, but every healthcare provider who attends to your treatment owes you a duty of care. They should be able to tell you what they are doing to minimize the risk of infection.
• Ask others to wash their hands: As soon as they enter the room, ask all visitors to wash their hands before touching you or any equipment connected to you. If staff members do not wash when they come in, ask them to do so.
• Ask questions about preventative measures for surgery: You can often prepare for your procedure to help reduce the risk of infection. You should also ask your doctor to explain what they will do to keep your chances of an HAI low.
• Check for signs of skin infections: Nurses and doctors see many patients each day and may overlook symptoms of a surgical site infection. Spend time each day looking at your site for redness, swelling, or fluid draining from the area. Tell a nurse or doctor right away if you see anything unusual.
• Inquire about your catheter: Ask your nurses and doctors how long the catheter needs to be in place and whether it is necessary. Once you can walk to and use the bathroom on your own, it should be removed.
• Stay up to date on shots: Be sure to get a flu shot each year and keep up with viral boosters, such as those for COVID-19. Being vaccinated can reduce the chance of catching these diseases or suffering significant illness if you do.
• Verify antibiotic information: If you have allergies to certain types of antibiotics, be sure your care team is aware of this. Also, ask if the medication is necessary. Many bacteria are quickly developing resistance to more commonly prescribed antibiotics, and the more you take them, the greater your risk of contracting a resistant strain.
• Wash your hands: As often as you can, wash your hands with soap and water before touching your nose, mouth, eyes, or any surgical sites. If you cannot get to a sink, use hand sanitizer as much as possible.
• Watch out for diarrhea: This is often a symptom of a C. diff infection, and it can be deadly. If you have diarrhea more than two times in 24 hours while in the hospital, tell your doctor right away, especially if you are on an antibiotic.

Taking these actions can not only keep you safer, but they can become important if you must file an insurance claim and / or medical malpractice lawsuit. In Pennsylvania, comparative negligence applies to these kinds of cases, meaning that if you are found to have contributed to your illness or injury, you may not be able to claim full compensation from the negligent party or parties.

Insurance companies will fight very hard to avoid paying your claim and will try to provide evidence that you played a part in acquiring your HAI illness. You will need a tenacious and aggressive attorney to fight back and negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.

Philadelphia Hospital-Acquired Infections Lawyers

Patients seeking medical attention have enough on their plate to worry over besides whether or not healthcare providers have failed to wash their hands. Hospital-acquired infections are serious but largely preventable illnesses.

If you or a loved one received medical care in Philadelphia and contracted a hospital-acquired infection, you must act right away to avoid losing your chance to seek compensation. Contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Lopez McHugh LLP now for a free consultation today.