Earlier this week on our Chicago medical malpractice law blog, we mentioned that scientists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are becoming very concerned about the spread of CRE in medical facilities because CRE infections are becoming more difficult to treat with antibiotics.
As you may have already gathered, adult infections can be extremely dangerous and fatal. Fortunately, many other types of infections can be treated with antibiotics before complications from infections result in serious, disabling or fatal injuries. In order for antibiotics to work, though, doctors need to diagnose infections in a timely manner. This means doctors cannot overlook patients’ symptoms. When symptoms are ignored or overlooked by doctors, infections may continue to grow and cause irreparable harm.
For example, a patient who had suffered an infection after a spinal surgery has recently filed a lawsuit against two doctors in Illinois for contributing to his disabling injuries that were later caused by the infection. The man claims that he had complained to his doctors about pain after the surgery, but they ignored his complaints.
As it turned out, the man was experiencing complications from his surgery, which later developed into an infection. The infection went undiagnosed for too long and the man suffered permanent injuries.
The patient’s lawsuit was filed on March 4. The lawsuit claims that the patient began to experience severe pain after his surgery, and after reporting his pain to his doctors, he was told by his doctors that he was exaggerating his symptoms. However, the patient was later diagnosed with meningitis. After the infection was diagnosed, it was discovered that cerebral spinal fluid had been leaking after the man’s surgery was performed. The leaking fluid had caused the patient to experience pain and to develop the infection.
The patient is now seeking at least $300,000 in compensation for his injuries and other damages. The man’s injuries from the untreated infection have caused him to become disabled. He can no longer work, he will suffer neurological defects for the remainder of his life, and he has had to endure severe emotional and physical pain. It is truly unfortunate that this man was not properly treated for his pain when he first went to doctors to report his discomfort after his surgery.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Meningitis followed spinal surgery, suit claims,” Kelly Holleran, March 26, 2013
