Staph Infection
Back to All Medical ErrorsA staph infection is an antibiotic-resistant infection caused by the staphylococcus bacteria, which is often found in hospitals, care centers, and nursing homes.
According to the CDC, 119,000 people suffered from bloodstream staph infections in the United States in 2017, and nearly 20,000 died. While some cases of staph infection are inevitable and not caused by medical malpractice, staph infection is a common risk that comes with surgery. If a patient develops a staph infection as a result of unsanitary conditions or if the staph infection goes misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, medical malpractice or medical negligence may be at play.
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with a staph infection during a hospital stay and you feel it was a result of medical malpractice, contact MedFault to set up a free legal case review with a qualified staph infection lawyer.
What is a Staph Infection?
A staph infection is an antibiotic-resistant infection caused by the staphylococcus bacteria, which is often found in hospitals, care centers, and nursing homes. For many people, the staph bacteria cause little to no problems, but if a staph infection enters deeper into the body through the bloodstream, lungs, bones, joints, and heart, staph infections can turn deadly.
What Are the Symptoms of a Staph Infection?
According to the Mayo Clinic, a case of staph infection can range from a minor skin issue to endocarditis, a life-threatening infection of the inner lining of your heart. Because of this, symptoms of a staph infection vary widely, and may include:
- Skin infections: This may be painful, swollen, red boils or pimples that may turn into impetigo, which is a crust on the skin, or cellulitis, which is a red, swollen area of the skin that feels hot to the touch.
- Bone infections: Infections of the bone can cause swelling, pain, warmth, and redness to the location of the infection.
- Endocarditis: Endocarditis can cause flu-like symptoms including fatigue, fever, and chills. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and fluid buildup in the arms and legs.
- Food poisoning: Staph bacteria is also one of the most common types of food poisoning. These symptoms typically include nausea, committing, diarrhea, and fever.
- Bloodstream infection: A bloodstream infection, or bacteremia, occurs as a result of staph infection entering a patient’s bloodstream. Symptoms include fever and low blood pressure.
- Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS): TSS is a life-threatening condition that is caused by toxins produced by certain strands of staph bacteria. TSS has been linked to tampons, surgery, and skin wounds. Symptoms include a high fever, vomiting, a rash on the palms of hands and the soles of the feet that resembles sunburn, muscle aches, stomach pain, and confusion.
- Pneumonia: This infection of the lungs can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, chills, a high fever, and a cough that does not improve.
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What Causes Staph Infections?
Although a staph infection can be life-threatening in some cases, many people carry staph bacteria without developing a staph infection, with the CDC stating that 5% of patients in hospitals in the US carry the staph bacteria on their skin or in their nose. However, if you do develop a staph infection, for example, by the staph bacteria entering a cut on your body, there is a good possibility you have been carrying around the staph bacteria for some time.
The staph bacteria is also transmissible from person to person. Staph is also able to spread on objects such as clothing, linens, towels, athletic equipment, door handles, and remotes.
Who is at Risk for a Staph Infection?
Since the staph bacteria is so resilient, it is present in most hospitals and nursing homes. Staph bacteria are also found in locations like fitness centers, schools, and among drug-using communities. While anyone can develop a staph infection, the people most at risk for developing a severe staph infection include:
-The elderly
-Patients with compromised immune systems
-Patients undergoing invasive surgeries including joint surgery, breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and catheters
-Patients with chronic conditions including diabetes, lung disease, cancer, vascular disease, and eczema
-Patients on dialysis
When a staph infection progresses and the staph bacteria spread throughout the blood into the bloodstream and organs, more serious conditions can develop including heart failure, pneumonia, sepsis, and heart valve infection.
Can Staph Infection be Caused by Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice refers to when a patient is injured due to a medical professional’s failure to provide adequate care. In staph infection cases, medical negligence may be involved when the staph infection was acquired inside the hospital, was the subject of misdiagnosis, was due to postoperative neglect, or was not diagnosed or treated in a timely manner.
The two main allegations for medical malpractice in cases involving staph infection are misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose, which can prove fatal for the patient. Staph infection can also be caused by hospital negligence, and the hospital’s failure to maintain adequate sanitary conditions. Because complications from staph infection can have serious long-term consequences, healthcare providers must use caution when diagnosing and treating staph infections as well to prevent their patients from being contaminated with the staph bacteria.
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