Hospital Infection: Lawyer for Investigation and Lawsuit

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen have recently won $950,000 for a client in a case involving Staphylococcus aureus. Contact them for a free consultation.

Hospital Infection News Update: Our attorneys are investigating hospital infections at St. Cloud Hospital. The infections were found in 23 patients.

Hospital Infection Information

Of the 1.7 million infections reported among patients, the most common healthcare-associated infections are urinary tract infections (32 percent), surgical site infections (22 percent), pneumonias (15 percent), and bloodstream infections (14 percent). These infections generally involve Staphylococcus (including MRSA, a particularly dangerous Staph strain) or C. difficile.

Failure to diagnose an infection is medical malpractice, and there have been recent recoveries in hospital-acquired infection malpractice cases, which often involve unsanitary conditions, poor protocols and other circumstances that led to the infection.

Hospital Staph Infection: Staphylococcus Aureus

Staph Staph is short for Staphylococcus, a type of bacteria. There are over 30 types, but Staphylococcus aureus causes most staph infections. Staphylococcus aureus enter the joint in a number of ways including through or as a consequence of surgical incisions. Approximately 20,000 cases occur in the United States each year. The knee joint is the most common location for this infection.

Staph skin infections cause a red, swollen, and painful area on the skin. Other symptoms may include:

Drainage of pus or other fluids from the site
Fever
Skin abscess
Warmth around the infected area

Symptoms of a "staph infection" in a joint may include:

fever
redness, swelling, extreme tenderness occurring in a single joint
pus (yellowish-white substance) draining from a wound or abscess.

Read about failure to diagnose a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).

Symptoms of a more serious staph infection may include:

Chest pain
Chills
Cough
Fatigue
Fever
General ill feeling (malaise)
Headache
Muscle aches
Rash
Shortness of breath

Without treatment, a Staphylococcus aureus infection (staph infection) can lead to infectious arthritis (septic arthritis), organ failure or death.

Hospital Staph Infection: MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. The risk of serious illness, amputation and death is greater with an MRSA infection than with other Staphylococcus aureus infections.

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