Pressure Sores in Nursing Homes: Bend, Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyer Explains

Bend Medical Malpractice Attorney Explains Why a Pressure Sore in a Nursing Home is Likely Oregon Medical Malpractice 

 

Many of us have heard of a pressure sore or bedsore before.  But few of us actually know what a pressure sore actually is and how it forms.  Although we likely know that it is an excruciating painful condition and could lead to death.  We also know the elderly patients who are in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, or other related healthcare facilities are most likely to endure a pressure sore or bed sore.  This may be troubling because we spend a lot of money and put a lot of trust in these facilities to properly care for our loved ones.  When they fail, not only is it a breach of our trust, but it may also be Oregon medical malpractice which should be reviewed by a Bend medical malpractice lawyer.  

 

What Exactly is a Pressure Sore?

 

A pressure sore is exactly what it sounds like.  It is ulcerative damage caused to the skin and surrounding tissue due to abrasion, friction, or pressure on the same spot of the body for prolonged periods of time.  This results in a breakdown of tissue which causes the tissue to become damaged.  This breakdown causes the pressure sore which can grow quite large, in some instances to the size of a dinner plate.

 

This type of injury is also known as a bed sore because they predominately occur in individuals who are bed-ridden.  This is because individuals who are resting in bed for a prolonged period of time are exposed to a prolonged period of pressure for bedsprings, endure more friction from the bed, and have more contact with a surface.  All of these points of contact are what creates the damage, even by just creating some minor inflammation at the point of contact.

 

Stages of Pressure Sores

 

There are four general stages of pressure sores which could be caused by Oregon medical malpractice.  These include the following:

 

• Stage 1 – Mild stage which only damages the outer layer of skin resulting in redness, burning, some pain, and general uncomfortableness.
• Stage 2 – When the skin breaks down and the second layer becomes affected resulting in bleeding, blisters, red, swollen, oozing, and other similar injury.
• Stage 3 – This is when the pressure sore goes through to the fatty layer of tissue and is a medical emergency because the risk of serious infection is imminent.  There will be pus, oozing, oder, swelling, blood, and some parts of the wound may be necrotic or turning black.
• Stage 4 – This is a life-threatening stage which usually requires hospitalization and surgical intervention.  Muscle, tendons, ligaments, and other tissue will be damaged, infected, or otherwise compromised.  There will be infection at this point which is raising to the level of sepsis, which could result in amputations of unaffected areas and wrongful death.

 

Did a Loved One Have a Pressure Sore?  Call our Portland Medical Malpractice Lawyer to Assess Your Claim FOR FREE

 

If your loved one suffered a serious pressure sore, or was wrongful killed when a pressure sore was not immediately identified, call our Portland medical malpractice lawyer to learn what your rights are under Oregon law.  We handle cases throughout Oregon, including anywhere in Central Oregon, Deschutes County, Sisters, Redmond, The Dalles, Prineville, Madras, Salem, Lake Oswego, Vancouver, Washington, Corvallis, Albany, Coos Bay, Astoria, Portland, 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.