Bedsores are a major health issue in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, leading to significant legal matters monetary awards in Louisiana. If you or a loved one have been affected by bedsores, knowing your rights is essential. At MGM Attorneys, board-certified medical malpractice attorney Ben Mouton, attorney Eric Helm and their medical malpractice team provide specialized legal assistance for those affected by bedsores.

Bedsores and injuries to the skin and underlying tissues occur due to prolonged pressure, commonly in bedridden or immobile individuals. The failure of the nursing home or hospital staff to provide adequate care, like regular repositioning and maintaining hygiene, leads to bedsores. These sores start as red, painful areas, turning purple if untreated, and can become deep, affecting muscles and bones. Healing can be slow, taking days to years, and may require surgery. 

Bedsores increase the risk of potentially life-threatening bacterial infections like cellulitis and septicemia. The development of sepsis can lead to amputation or death. Worldwide, bedsores lead to the deaths of more than 24,000 people each year.

Preventing bedsores is imperative, particularly in medical settings such as nursing homes and hospitals. The following are some effective methods to prevent bedsores:

1. Regular Inspection: Conduct daily skin checks, focusing on areas where bones are close to the surface, for any signs of redness, which can indicate the beginning of skin breakdown.
2. Turning and Repositioning: It's critical to turn and reposition bedridden patients every two hours to relieve and redistribute pressure, which helps prevent sores from forming.
3. Maintaining Proper Posture in Wheelchairs: Wheelchair users should ensure they sit upright and straight, adjusting their position every 15 minutes to distribute pressure evenly.
4. Soft Padding: Placing soft padding in both wheelchairs and beds effectively reduces pressure on the skin, particularly in areas more prone to sores.
5. Skin Care: Regularly cleaning and keeping the skin dry is crucial for preventing the development of bedsores and avoiding infections.
6. Nutrition: A nutritious diet that includes sufficient calories, vitamins, minerals, fluids, and protein is critical. Adequate nutrition is necessary to heal bedsores; without it, even with proper care, the healing process can be adversely affected.

Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, not only cause physical pain but also lead to severe, life-altering complications like cellulitis and septicemia that can lead to amputation or even death if they are not aggressively treated. Typically, bedsores occur on bony prominences where blood circulation becomes restricted for an extended period, usually over two hours.

Complications arising from bedsores can result in an extended hospital stay, enduring intense pain, and a significantly reduced quality of life. This situation is particularly true for older patients, critically ill patients, people with diabetes, and individuals with mobility issues, who are most susceptible to developing these sores and their associated complications.

Additional factors such as friction, shear, and continuous pressure can exacerbate bedsores when they progress to an advanced stage. Without appropriate treatment, these factors can lead to: 

• Severe Cellulitis: This deep tissue infection can rapidly spread, causing extensive skin and tissue damage.
• Osteomyelitis: A severe bone infection, osteomyelitis can result from deeper bedsores and requires immediate medical attention.
• Gangrene: The death of body tissue due to a lack of blood flow or a serious bacterial infection, which can lead to amputations in severe cases.
• Sepsis/Septicemia: A potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
• Necrotizing Fasciitis: Commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, this is a severe infection that rapidly destroys the muscles, skin, and underlying tissue, which can lead to organ failure and death.

Liability falls on the caregivers, hospitals, or nursing facilities failing that fail in their duty of care caring for their patients. Victims can sue for pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability. loss of enjoyment of life. medical expenses and rehabilitation costs. The severity of bedsores, particularly stages III and IV, often justifies justify legal action due to the physical pain, extensive rehabilitative care and the associated medical expense involved.

Documenting injuries, seeking medical help, and reporting negligence to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals are critical first steps. The next step, obtaining the required evidence to prove the existence of a bedsore, like photos of the sores and medical records confirming the stage of the bedsore, is crucial. Further, evidence establishing a failure to turn the patient every two hours, which is in and of itself a form of negligent treatment, will certainly strengthen the case.

Our experienced medical malpractice team at MGM, under the leadership of board-certified medical malpractice lawyer Ben Mouton and attorney Eric Helm, excels in handling complex bed sore cases. Our team’s experience in handling advanced-stage bed sore cases enables our firm to navigate victims through intricate legal proceedings, while simultaneously always pursuing the most successful claim outcomes. 

Ben Mouton's expertise in handling medical malpractice cases in Louisiana, highlighted by his board certification, provides clients with top-tier legal representation. This level of proficiency is integral in bed sore cases, offering victims the best opportunity for a favorable resolution.

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