If your loved one needed to spend time in a hospital, or move to a nursing home or other residential care facility, you probably trusted they would receive quality, life-improving care. Unfortunately, some facilities are more interested in saving money than in providing quality care to their residents and patients. Pressure sore injuries and ulcers can develop on a patient when their healthcare providers fail to provide them with responsible, reasonable care.
If your loved one developed pressure ulcers, our Fort Washington pressure sore injury lawyers can offer you helpful advice and guidance. Our trained nursing home abuse attorneys work with people throughout Pennsylvania and we want to help you too.
What Are Pressure Injuries?
When an elderly patient is unable to move on their own, they are often confined to a bed or wheelchair. If they remain in the same position, they can develop pressure injuries or ulcers on their skin. For instance, a patient in a wheelchair could develop pressure ulcers on their buttocks, tailbone, or spine as it rubs against their wheelchair. They could also develop sores on the backs of their knees from having their legs constantly bent and rubbing against the chair. Patients who are confined to their beds could develop bedsores on the backs of their heads or heels, as they rub against their bedsheets.
When a medical care team does not regularly help a patient change positions, pressure injuries can occur. If not treated correctly, those sores can worsen in severity from stage 1 to stage 4.
Stage 1
In a stage 1 pressure injury, the patient has fully intact skin. However, a localized portion of the skin shows the first signs of tissue damage in the form of non-blanchable erythema. The damaged skin, which is reddened, does not fade to white when pressure is applied.
Stage 2
In a stage 2 pressure injury, the patient has a partial-thickness loss of some skin and there is exposed dermis, which is the second layer of skin.
Stage 3
In a stage 3 pressure injury, the patient has a full-thickness loss of skin in the affected area. Deep wounds can occur, along with tunneling and undermining.
Stage 4
In a stage 4 pressure injury, the patient experiences a full-thickness skin and tissue loss. This type of severe pressure ulcer has exposed muscle, fascia, tendon, ligament, or bones. Undermining and tunneling can occur.
Who is Legally Responsible When a Patient Develops a Pressure Sore Injury?
Pressure injuries should not occur if a patient receives reasonable and responsible care from their providers. However, they can develop if a hospital or nursing home fails to regularly reposition their bedridden patients. You could potentially file a legal claim for compensation against the following parties if you or a loved one developed a pressure injury:
- Doctors who provided and oversaw your care and treatment
- Nursing and care staff who failed to reposition you
- The medical institutions where you received care, including hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living centers
- Home health care provider and agency who failed to move you
Our Fort Washington attorneys can carefully comb through the evidence to determine who is legally responsible for the pressure injuries.
Meet with Our Fort Washington Attorneys to Seek a Claim for Pressure Sore Injuries
If you or a loved one developed a pressure injury in a facility where you were supposed to be receiving quality care, you should discuss it with our Fort Washington pressure injury lawyers. Friedman Schuman Layser is a medical malpractice law firm that focuses on helping people get compensated for their losses, and we can discuss your claim during a private consultation.