What Do You Need to Know About Sepsis?

In a recent article, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported six Philadelphia-area hospitals are still struggling with deaths from sepsis. While other Pennsylvania hospitals are seeing a drop in the number of sepsis-related deaths, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Hahnemann University Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Jennersville Regional Hospital, and Mercy Philadelphia Hospital have all had higher rates of patients dying of sepsis than other hospitals.

Sepsis is a condition caused by infections that have been allowed to get out of control, and severe complications and death are often the results of medical malpractice.

In this article, we explain what you need to know about this dangerous and potentially deadly condition and how a skilled medical malpractice can help your case.

What is Sepsis?

The Centers for Disease Control defines sepsis as “the body’s extreme response to an infection.”  Essentially, in response to being overwhelmed by infection, the immune system gets out of control, releasing large amounts of chemicals into the blood and triggering inflammation in the affected area that can destroy tissue and cause organ failure. This is why sepsis is sometimes referred to as “blood poisoning.” Without proper diagnosis and treatment, sepsis can cause catastrophic injuries and, in many cases, death.

What are the Causes of Sepsis?

Sepsis itself is caused by an overreaction to the immune system.  However, the underlying infection triggering the immune response can be either bacterial, fungal, or viral.  These infections can occur anywhere in the body, including the lungs, skin, blood, bones, kidneys, or even the lining of the brain.  

In many sepsis cases, these infections occur while the patient is in a hospital or other medical treatment setting.  According to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, the most common sites of infection for hospital patients are:

• Surgical wounds
  
• Surgical drains
  
• Intravenous lines
  
• Bedsores or pressure ulcers

Because sepsis is caused by the immune system’s response to being overwhelmed by an infection, those with weakened immune systems, such as infants and those over 65, are at the greatest risk.  However, even those with mostly normal immune systems are at risk of sepsis if infections are allowed to get out of control. The CDC estimates approximately 1.5 million people develop sepsis each year and that about 250,000 people die as a result.  

What are the Symptoms of Sepsis?

One of the difficulties in handling sepsis cases is that the symptoms may initially appear to be mild. The patient may suffer a general sense of “not feeling good,” have a slightly increased temperature, shivers or an increased heart rate. As sepsis progresses, however, the symptoms become more severe. According to the Mayo Clinic, signs of advanced sepsis include:

• Difficulty breathing
  
• Abnormal heart function
  
• A sudden change in mental status/alertness
  
• Decreased urine output
  
• Abdominal pain
  

Medical providers must be vigilant in monitoring their patients’ symptoms for signs of infection and sepsis. If sepsis is caught early, the infection the body is responding to can typically be treated with antibiotics and other treatments. These treatments help to combat the infection and tame both the immune system’s reaction to the infection and the inflammatory response it causes.

What Kind of Injuries Can Sepsis Cause?

Without prompt and proper treatment, sepsis can cause a number of serious and catastrophic injuries, including:

• Cognitive Issues - Advanced sepsis can cause low blood pressure and inflammation in the brain. This can lead to damage to the brain tissue, ultimately causing severe cognitive dysfunction, such as memory loss and other mental impairment.

• Gangrene - The decreased blood flow and destruction of tissue caused by advanced sepsis can cause tissues, particularly in extremities like the hands and feet, to die and become gangrenous.

• Amputation - When extremities become gangrenous as a result of sepsis, they often must be amputated to prevent the spread of infection to other parts and systems of the body.

• Organ Failure - The decreased blood flow and tissue damages caused by advanced sepsis can cause organs and organ systems to incur heavy damage, sometimes shutting down entirely.  Damage to the kidneys and lungs is most common in advanced sepsis cases.

• Death - Advanced sepsis can cause blood flow and organ system failure that eventually leads to death.
  

How Can Sepsis be Caused by Medical Malpractice?

There are several ways medical malpractice can lead to sepsis. One of the most common is the failure to diagnose sepsis. Misdiagnosing sepsis for another illness can delay much-needed treatment, allowing the sepsis to enter advanced stages and cause irreversible damage. In 2011, a Centre County jury awarded a man $997,500.00 after a delayed diagnosis of sepsis at Mt. Nittany Medical Center caused him severe pain and disability.

Failure to properly treat the underlying infection is another common medical error that can cause sepsis to advance unnecessarily.  With assistance from a medical malpractice lawyer, a lawsuit was recently filed in Pennsylvania on behalf of a woman who suffered septic shock and later died after she was prescribed the wrong medication to treat a urinary tract infection.

Lastly, sepsis can commonly occur from infections acquired while in the hospital, either during surgery or as a result of improperly sterilized medical equipment.  

What Should I Do if a Loved One or I Have Suffered Personal Injury Due to Sepsis as a Result of Medical Malpractice?

You need to contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer immediately. Because most sepsis injury cases involve medical malpractice, they require an extraordinary amount of investigation.  Your attorney may need to obtain and review thousands of pages of medical records which will then need to be reviewed by an expert.

This is an expensive and time-consuming process that must begin as soon as possible to determine whether you have a claim. You also need an attorney with a thorough knowledge of the practice of medicine and the resources necessary to take the case to trial.

Additionally, Pennsylvania law limits the time in which you may bring a lawsuit for medical malpractice. In general, there is a Statute of Limitations requiring that any lawsuit must be started within two years of the date of any alleged malpractice or negligence which has caused your injuries.  Under certain limited circumstances, the Statute of Limitations may be extended to allow you two years from the date you knew or should or could have known of the malpractice or negligence. If you do not bring a lawsuit within the applicable two-year period, any claim you may have will be forever barred.

At the Law Office of Alvin F. de Levie, we have decades of experience handling cases for those who have suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of sepsis or septic shock throughout the Commonwealth. We have handled cases from Philadelphia and the surrounding counties to Allegheny County, including Centre County, Montour County, York County and Luzerne County.  

If you have suffered an injury as a result of medical malpractice, contact us today – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – at (844)777-2529 for a consultation. One of our team members will be in immediate contact with you. We maintain offices throughout Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, State College, Bellefonte and Lock Haven, and we are willing to meet any clients throughout the Commonwealth.