One of the most common risks of all surgical procedures, no matter how large or how small, is an infection. In fact, patients even give informed consent to the possibility that an infection may occur before the surgical procedure is even performed. Most times the infection is easily quashed with antibiotics after the surgery. Other times the prevention of using antibacterial scrubs and topical agents helps to kill the bacteria before it can get root in a person’s system. In these instances, it is unlikely that a patient has an Oregon medical malpractice case if an infection is normally caused by the procedure.
However, sometimes the bacteria does not respond to the antibiotics given. This could be due to a variety of reasons, which also include the possibility that the infection the patient is suffering is MRSA. This is not an ordinary infection, and when a patient contract MRSA it may not be a commonly assumed risked. Patients suffering from a MRSA infection should call our Portland and Bend medical malpractice lawyer to learn what their rights are and how to protect them.
MRSA is the acronym for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. You may have heard this called the “superbug” which is a strain of bacteria that has evolved to fight back to the common antibiotics that we have. This is a type of “staph” bacteria which is not easily killed by antibiotics requiring stronger antibiotics or even excise of very infection, necrotic, or damaged tissue.
What makes MRSA most dangerous is that the infection causes life threatening conditions. The most vulnerable populations are young children, elderly, those with compromised immune systems, or those who are weakened due to a condition or ailment. Since MRSA is commonly contracted at a hospital, most people fit into one of these conditions. This is particularly true of weakened people, as most MRSA infections are contracted post-surgery where a patient is at his or her weakest and is recovering.
Generally, MRSA is not the type of infection that is obtained outside of a hospital or healthcare facility. Most people how contract MRSA has been at a medical facility for treatment and contract it there. This is because MRSA generally evolved from being in contact with the antibacterial agents used by healthcare facilities. However, inadequate amounts used do not kill strains of bacteria, but allow it to evolve stronger. This is why MRSA is so dangerous.
Most times MRSA can be killed by a hospital following proper sterilization and room-turnover protocol. Thorough and appropriate cleaning can insure that the patient’s room, equipment, bed, and other materials are bacteria free. These are not the type of infections which are consented to by a patient pre-surgery. Said differently, a patient does not consent to a hospital poorly cleaning the facilities and causing a life-threatening infection.
MRSA is not a normal type of infection. Even though patients consent to the risk of infection, MRSA is not always within the purview of what is consented to by patients. If you or a loved one have contracted MRSA, call our Portland medical malpractice lawyer to learn what your rights to compensation may be. We handle cases throughout Oregon, including anywhere in Central Oregon, Deschutes County, Salem, Portland, Vancouver, Washington, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Corvallis, Redmond, Sisters, The Dalles, Jefferson County, Prineville, Madras, Coos Bay, Astoria, Albany, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro, Medford, and any other city, including Bend, Oregon where our law office is located.
Please call Kuhlman Law, LLC by dialing (541) 385-1999 to learn what your rights to compensation you may have. You may also contact us using our easy and convenient “contact us” box at the bottom of our website. If we accept your case, we will conduct a thorough investigation to get you the answers you deserve, all for free. There is no risk, and you only pay us if we recover compensation for you.