This is the fourth and final post in a series detailing the differences in the stages of bed sores. Our professionals represents clients all over the New Jersey and Philadelphia region with bed sore related injuries and is writing this series to inform the patients and their families about the different stages of bed sores, and their legal rights. This post is about Stage IV bed sores, the most serious and deadly stage.
Are Stage IV bed sores preventable?
Stage IV bed sores are horrifying wounds that cause incredible damage to the health of a person. If you or your loved one has a Stage IV bed sore that is currently not being treated, it needs to be treated immediately for the health and safety of the patient. Unfortunately, Stage IV bed sores start off as Stage I bed sores, as discussed in previous blog posts, which are entirely preventable by attentive medical professionals.
When patients have a Stage I bed sore, there are many things that can be done to prevent the further degradation of the patient’s skin and muscle structure, including frequent repositioning to alleviate pressure on the skin. However, in some cases, a facility is under staffed, or has uncaring employees, that will allow a patient to lay in the same position for days, sometimes in their own bodily fluids. Patients that rely on the care of medical professionals, and cannot reposition themselves, are most likely to fall victims.
What are Stage IV bed sores?
Bed sores that have progressed to a Stage IV level are very serious and have a damaging impact on a patient’s health. The symptoms include: extensive destruction and tissue death to muscle, bone, and supporting structures (tendons, joints, and capsules). The wound will look like large, deep, and open, revealing bone and connective tissues. This is the last and most serious stage of bed sores. Even posting a picture of a Stage IV bed sore would be too graphic for this blog.
Bed Sores Lawyers of New Jersey and Philadelphia
A stage IV bed sore is a tell tale sign of nursing home abuse. A wound should never, under any circumstance, progress to this level. If you or your love one suffered a stage IV bed sore while in a nursing home or assisted living facility, please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation and consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia. You have suffered enough, it is time you received the compensation you deserve.
An example of abuse that was not sanctioned by the state occurred in one of Hawaii’s premiere facilities, Kahala Nui. The home failed to protect their residents from a sexually abusive nurse’s aide and failed to properly investigate the allegations of abuse. they also failed to examine or interview any of the nine women who said the employee mistreated them between April 2008 and June 2009.
Stage III bed sores are incredibly serious and need immediate attention, as healing bed sores that progress past Stage II is extremely difficult. A stage III bed sore will display skin loss involving damage or death to the subcutaneous tissue that may extend to the connective tissue. The wound will look like a deep crater which is black around its edges. Subcutaneous fat may be visible, but bone, tendon, or muscle is not. There may be tunneling and undermining in the skin.
Myrna Siegel, a former registered nurse at the Sullivan County Adult Care Facility in Liberty, New York, is being charged with abusing patients. She has surrendered her license to practice as an RN after an investigation by the State Office of Medicaid Inspector General uncovered the abuse. She is being charged with physically and verbally abusing patients. According to a report from the Long Term Care Community Coalition, “In one instance she forcibly held down a resident while giving care, calling the resident an ‘evil witch’.” In another case of abuse, she told a resident who was not ready to receive his medication that “he had a death wish and was going to die if he didn’t take his medicine.”
In a disturbing case of 
According to a study that was published online in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences by Dr. Sarah D. Berry, a scientist at the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, the elderly are at a greater risk of falling the days after they start taking non-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants, such as bupropion or venlafaxine. The researchers studied information on 1,181 nursing home residents who fell and compared the changes in their antidepressants shortly before the fall. They discovered that a patient’s 
According to the complaint, from 2004 to 2008, many of the facility’s residents suffered injuries, and five patients died during that time. The poor care in question involved failure to follow physicians orders, failure to treat wounds and bed sores, failure to update resident care plans, and failure to monitor the blood sugar levels of diabetic residents.
Marisa Robles, 31, faced 92 counts related to theft, fraud and elder abuse and pleaded guilty to 32 counts of fraud and elder abuse this month. Robles used her access to the 81-year-old man’s financial documents to write checks to herself and sign his name. According to Deputy District Attorney Barrie Pink, “She started small to see if she could get away with it,” first forging checks for $500 but then quickly began writing them for larger amounts up to $10,000. Robles stole up to $300,000 from the elderly man.