Bed sores and pressure ulcers, 99% of the time, are indicative of nursing home abuse. Usually, bed sores are classified as a Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV, but many of our clients do not know what the difference is between these. This blog post, and the following three in this series, are aimed at informing nursing home abuse victims, and their families, about their injuries and what they can do about it.
Bed Sore Stage Classifications – Stage I
Stage I bed sores represent the first stage of bed sores, and should serve as a warning sign to medical professionals and family members. Patients with Stage I bed sores typically exhibit the following symptoms:
- a warming or cooling in skin temperature,
- changes in tissue consistency (firm or boggy feeling),
- pain,
- itching, and
- persistent red, blue, or purple hues.
Typically, bed sores lawyers are not involved with Stage I bed sores because they can be treated by medical professionals, thereby eliminating a serious health risk to the patient. But, as experienced bed sores lawyers, we can tell you, from first hand experience, that monitoring your loved one’s health is very important. Bed sores progress very rapidly, and when they are discovered, they need to be treated immediately.
Preventing Bed Sores
Bed sores typically are caused by pressure on the skin at bony areas of the body. Continuous pressure and friction are dangerous to people with the following risk factors:
- over 65,
- incontinence,
- malnutrition,
- dehydration,
- lack of movement,
- numbness,
- smoking, and
- previous pressure ulcers.
For bed ridden patients, skin should be kept clean, dry, and moisturized. Furthermore, their position should be changed regularly, and special equipment and pads should be used to protect skin over bony areas. The best medicine for bed sores is prevention, and the number one tool for prevention is attentiveness. It is important to be attentive to a patient’s needs. If a patient is ignored or neglected, deadly bed sores can quickly develop.
Bed Sores Lawyers in New Jersey
Later posts will demonstrate how a Stage I pressure ulcer can quickly develop into a more serious problem. If you or your family member has developed bed sores while in a nursing home or assisted living facility, 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. You deserve compensation and the Mininno Law Office can get it for you.
Wilson strongly argued that these medical malpractice caps are blatantly favoring a special class of society over the general public. This special class includes medical professionals, corporations, insurance companies, and special interests groups. Malpractice victims may suffer many non-economic damages that will no longer be fully compensated for in states such as West Virginia. Someone who is permanently disfigured, maimed, or handicapped will certainty be owed compensation that exceeds mere medical expenses and future costs. An avid golfer or swimmer who can no longer enjoy these activities, a young child who will never walk or talk, or a woman who can never bear a child are only some of the instances where non-economic damages that exceed a cap may be necessary. Medical malpractice attorneys also have fears that were pointed out by Judge Wilson. He stated, 
Lawyers say that Ms. Burke underwent an abdominal hysterectomy on March 22, 2005. The medical negligence occurred when a pre-operative nurse left a cleaning sponge inside the woman’s vagina which was not noticed during the procedure. They say that Burke had raised her concerns to her physician over the next two months and she went in for medical assistance no less than six times. In the months following the procedure, the woman was in significant pain and she experienced a discolored vaginal discharge. Medical malpractice attorneys also say that her vagina had an offensive odor which Ms. Burke describes as “so embarrassing“. Finally, on May 23, 2005, her doctor elected to perform a vaginal exam where he discovered the sponge. Proffesionals note that a second surgery was necessary to fix the problem and following the surgery, Burke remained weak and in pain.
Dr. Anthony Pickett, who was dismissed as a defendant, performed the circumcision on January 3, 2003 at Maternity Center of Vermont. The doctor was using a Militex Mogen clamp which removed eighty five percent of the top of the boy’s penis. The young boy’s medical malpractice attorneys said, “because of the defective design of the circumcision clamp, there was no protection for the head of the penis and Dr. Pickett was unable to visualize the head when excising the foreskin.” The lawyers working the case earned the plaintiffs $3.07 million in the settlement after fees and costs were deducted. Although the boy needs to regularly visit a physician and may need additional surgery in the future, they believe this is a great victory for the boy and a way to secure his financial future. Although medical malpractice statutes appeared as though they may limit the available recovery in this case, the lawyers were able to earn a just result for the young boy.
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.
It is suggested that extreme time pressures may be the number one cause of wrong-site surgeries. Doctors are extremely busy people, and their schedules are not getting any less full. However, this does not mean that innocent people should be injured. Some surgeons have suggested a protocol to prevent wrong-site injury by requiring a pre-operative verification of important details, marking the surgical site, and a mandatory timeout to confirm everything before the procedure begins. When steps like these are not followed, preventable injuries occur. Sometimes, those injuries are fatal.
Nancy Kammerer, 56, of Urbandale, Iowa, alleged that her physicians mistakenly cut part of her pancreas while undertaking the transplant procedure in 2008. Her lawyers said that her pancreas needed to be removed after this mistake, leading Kammerer into a future of medical uncertainty. Kammerer was a special projects manager at Wells Fargo prior to her surgery, a position that she soon had to give up after the alleged medical negligence. Her medical malpractice attorneys said that Kammerer became an insulin dependent diabetic, which added further pain and medical troubles into her life. In her complaint, attorneys alleged that the error was due in part to an inaccurate medical record that was in her file. It is certainly an unfortunate situation, but they say that it is not uncommon. It is important for patients who have been victimized by medical negligence to seek legal advice in order to receive compensation for their potentially sky rocketing bills. Victims often have increased hospital bills, future medical expenses, and extreme pain and suffering, which occurs far too often.
Manganiello went into Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, NY due to low sodium levels. Saline solution should have been infused into the woman slowly because this was a chronic condition. Sadly, this is not what happened. Medical malpractice attorneys say that saline solution was infused very rapidly, raising her sodium levels significantly in only fourteen hours. Following a trial that lasted nearly four weeks, the critical care physician, Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed was found to be sixty percent responsible, while Rose Aumick, the nurse, was found to be responsible for the remaining forty percent. Today, Manganiello lives in Milford, Pennsylvania at a supported living facility. Her family is only able to bring her home on weekends for visits but they hope in the future, thanks to the compensation from the verdict, that they will be able to bring her home permanently and she can receive a high level of care from home.