The Mininno Law Office serves patients and families affected by bed sores in the New Jersey and Philadelphia region. Typically, these bed sores and pressure ulcers are caused by nursing home neglect and abuse. This is the second post in a series of four that will describe the stages of bed sores. It is important to know the bed sore stages as laid out by the Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. This post covers the second evolution of bed sores, Stage II.
What Happens if Stage I Bed Sores Are Not Treated Promptly?
Typically, once a Stage I bed sore develops, medical professionals are attentive and realize the danger that the patient is in. The medical professionals then take the appropriate steps to care for the bed sores and avoid any serious complications. However, when the medical professionals neglect their duties, a Stage I bed sore will progress into a Stage II bed sore, which is even more painful and potentially fatal.
As Stage II bed sores develop, so too do a host of other symptoms. There is a skin loss involving the epidermis, dermis, or both layers of skin. The bed sore will look superficial, much like an abrasion, blister, or small crater. It will look like a shallow open ulcer with a pink-red wound bed, without slough. It could also look like a serum-filled, open, or ruptured blister. Once bed sores progress past this stage, they are much harder to treat.
Prevention is Key
As discussed in the previous blog, prevention is the key to stopping bed sores. Essentially, the medical staff needs to be attentive to the needs of their patients, especially those who are unable to care for themselves and shift positions. Bed Sores are entirely preventable; it just takes staff attention. Unfortunately, in many nursing homes and assisted living facilities, it is difficult to come across because of budget cuts and under-staffing.
This should serve as a warning for family members of patients in these facilities. We are not suggesting that all facilities, or even most, are dangerous, but it is extremely important to monitor your loved one’s condition in these facilities to prevent things like bed sores. The medical staff should be checking on your family member and so should you.
Bed Sores Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you or a loved one has suffered from bed sores in a nursing home or assisted living facility you should contact the Mininno Law Office for a free consultation and case evaluation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. We are experienced at holding those who caused your or your loved one’s injury responsible for their actions. Let the Mininno Law Office serve you by getting you the fair and just compensation which you truly deserve.
Our birth defects attorneys believe that the 
In August of 2002, Bruscato smashed his mother, Lillian Lynn, in the head with a battery charger and then stabbed her 72 times which resulted in her death. He was charged with murder but due to his psychological state, he was found to be incompetent to stand trial and he was committed to a mental institution. His father, Vito, then sued the doctor for medical malpractice because he believes that his son never should have been taken off of the medication. A judge at the trial court level ruled in favor of the psychiatrist but a divided state Court of Appeals elected to overturn that decision and allowed the case to proceed to trial.
The data for this study, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined data gathered between 2003 and 2008: 2.1 million white nursing home residents and 346,808 black nursing home residents were studied. Although the overall number of bed sores has decreased in recent years, black patients still consistently maintained higher rates than white patients. White nursing home residents saw their total rate of bed sores decrease from 11.4 percent to around 9.6 percent in 2008. On the other hand, black nursing home residents saw their bed sore rate drop from 16.8 percent in 2003 to 14.6 percent in 2008, still significantly higher than their white counterparts. Bed sore attorneys say that the highest rates of bed sores in recent years come from black residents who live in nursing homes that have the highest concentrations of African American patients. They say that conversely, the lowest rate was among white nursing home patients who resided in homes with few or no black patients. Bed sores are a major problem in our country today and blacks and whites alike need to be aware of the potential danger that they present.
Defective products attorneys work to serve two groups of people: their immediate clients who have been injured and are in need of compensation, and the public at large, who are put into harm’s way with a defective product.
A brain dysfunction caused Messina to collapse and landed him in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation centers beginning in late August of 2006. Several days after his admission into the hospital, he was diagnosed with bedsores. He began to develop the bedsores at SIUH and Golden Gate Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. Professionals say that Messina’s bed sores worsened until ulcers were developed on his mouth, buttocks, ankles, and genitals. Many of these bed sores had healed by the time he entered Golden Gate Rehabilitation Center. Various health problems sent Messina back and forth between the hospital and the rehab center over the next year. He can no longer walk due to a dislocated hip and he is unable to receive a replacement because of the infection which was caused by the bedsores. The New York Supreme Court jury assigned to this case found SIUH 75% responsible for the developments and complications of the bedsores. Bed sore attorneys say that this means that the hospital is liable for $4 million of the total awarded to Messina.
Once your child starts to grow, your doctor may want to discuss appliances that can be put in his or her mouth, to make speech easier. The speech bulb may be suggested, which is a plastic ball that fits into the velopharyngeal space, which is then attached to a plastic plate fitted to the roof of the mouth and held in place by wire clasps. The size of the bulb will vary depending on the size of the velopharyngeal space. The bulbs function is to stop air and sound from escaping the nose during speech. It is removed at night before bed.
A man fell at the health care center but did not receive proper treatment which led to his death. The report issued by the Department of Health Facility Complaints office stated that the man had a “large hematoma, approximately four centimeters by three centimeters, on his left forehead.” The man was not examined until thirty minutes after he sustained the injury and no vital signs or neurological tests were administered in the hours following the accident. Four hours after the fall, when the proper tests were finally conducted, the man’s vital signs were anything but stable and he was no longer responsive. He was then transferred to the hospital and died a mere two days after the initial accident. The death certificate stated that the death was caused by a massive intracranial hemorrhage. Nursing home neglect is far more prevalent than should be the case and it is essential that in the event of abuse or mistreatment, the proper authorities are notified as soon as possible.