Surgery may be essential for your health and well-being, but even elective procedures come with the expectation that doctors will provide a high standard of care. The last thing any patient anticipates is a breach of that duty leading to serious complications. One of the most concerning complications is a post-operative infection, which can cause significant harm and may be the result of medical malpractice.

If you developed an infection following surgery, a Charlottesville post operative infections lawyer at MichieHamlett can review your case and explain your legal options. Contact our experienced avoidable infections attorneys today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.

Types of Surgical Site Infections

Johns Hopkins Medicine identifies three types of surgical site infections. These are:

  • Superficial incisional. This type of post-operative infection occurs just at the skin at the site of the surgery. It may be minor as a result.
  • Deep incisional. More serious than a superficial incisional surgical site infection, a deep incisional infection occurs beneath the incision in the muscle and surrounding tissues. These types of infections have the potential to be very serious.
  • Organ or space surgical site infection. This type of infection refers to an infection that could be at a location other than where the surgery took place, including an infection in a body organ or a space between the organs.

Causes of Post-operative Infections and Preventative Measures

There are a number of risk factors that make someone more likely to develop a post-operative infection, including things like having diabetes, smoking, having cancer, being overweight, or being elderly. Of course, medical malpractice can play a role in the risk of surgical site infection in the following ways;

  • Failing to properly sanitize medical tools prior to surgery;
  • Failing to properly scrub hands and wear clean scrubs to the surgery;
  • Failing to provide the patient with post-operative care, including prescribing antibiotics;
  • Failing to understand a patient’s risk of infection and responding accordingly – for example, keeping appropriate blood sugar levels for a person with diabetes or keeping patients having certain surgeries at normal body temperature.

In addition to preventing post-operative infections, doctors may also act with malpractice in treating post-operative infections. Failing to correctly diagnose the infection, render quick treatment in the form of antibiotics, and more can impact a patient’s outcome.

Call Our Charlottesville Post-Operative Infections Attorneys Today

When you undergo surgery, you should not have to worry about the risk of infection—you should be able to trust that your doctor will take every precaution to reduce complications. If you have developed an infection after surgery, a Charlottesville post operative infections lawyer at MichieHamlett can help. Post-operative infections can cause severe health problems, including organ failure and even death in the most serious cases. For the legal support you need, contact us today—we are here to serve you.