Personal Injury Law

Jury Awards Sepsis Victim $1.44 Million

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

The family of a victim who wrongfully died of sepsis at a hospital will receive $1.44 million after a jury determined that his doctor failed to provide him with proper care. The medical malpractice verdict was declared several weeks after this specific hospital notified almost 530 patients that they may have received unnecessary coronary stent implants. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that two physicians in addition to the hospital were named in the medical malpractice lawsuit.

The victim had endured several tests which included an X-ray and a CT scan to determine what was wrong. The doctor believed that the victim was suffering from some sort of infection but believed it to be pneumonia. Finally, a test determined that the victim was suffering from sepsis but the doctor was unaware of the source. He treated the victim with a broad-spectrum antibiotic and admitted him. To read more about the medical malpractice verdict, please click the link.

Reports have shown that nearly 48,000 patients die each year from pneumonia and blood-borne infections. This epidemic has become a widespread problem in hospitals throughout Illinois. Sepsis is a blood infection that can develop after surgery. Patients who developed sepsis after surgery will end up staying nearly 11 days extra in the hospital. This will cost an additionally $32,900 per patient. Most importantly, 20 percent of these people die of sepsis. If you have developed sepsis at a hospital, please contact a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer. To read more about sepsis statistics, check out this link.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on April 02, 2010 (boomark / email).