Seeking Help for Hospital-Acquired Infections March 31, 2017.

Hospital-acquired infections can take a toll on a patient recovering from a surgical procedure or serious illness. Attorney Chris Mellino invites you to contact our Cleveland office with any questions you have about an infection, a potential claim, or Ohio’s statute of limitations.

Serious Complications

A 2010 report in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed incidents of pneumonia and sepsis caused by hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA, or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus superbug, and discovered that, in 2006, more than 48,000 patients were killed as a result of these infections.

This staggering statistic actually represents a significant decline in the number of hospital-acquired infections that resulted in death, which, in 2002, claimed 99,000 people per year, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unfortunately, this decrease in the number of patients who acquire infections has had little effect on the morbidity rate of those who do, which the report found to be at 20 percent in instances of hospital-acquired sepsis and 11 percent in cases of infection-related pneumonia.

Of course, there’s always a tragic tale behind a statistic. For instance, the Safe Patient Project, which acts as watchdog for healthcare consumers, reported that one infant contracted seven infections while in the hospital for routine surgery that ultimately claimed her life. Doctors and nurses blamed the child’s weak immune system, but she’d never developed an infection while living in a household that included two boys and pets.

Can I File a Medical Malpractice Claim for a Hospital-Acquired Infection?

Attorney Chris Mellino invites you to contact our Cleveland office with any questions you have about an infection or its consequences. You may also download or request Chris’ free, easy-to-read guide to filing a medical malpractice or wrongful death claim in Ohio.