MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It is a bacterium. It causes devastating infections in people. Hospital patients are particularly prone to contracting it.
The main problem with MRSA is that it is resistant to common antibiotics. Those medicines do not kill it. Therefore, it is known as a superbug.
If a victim is lucky, MRSA may only cause a mild skin infection. However, it often causes serious skin infections. In addition, it may cause internal infections. These infections can appear in surgical wounds, the lungs, the urinary tract, and even in a patient’s blood.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSES DEADLY MRSA
Negligent conduct by medical professionals can cause a serious MRSA infection. Medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, etc., often perform invasive procedures. For example, a doctor may operate on a patient. Or the doctor may implant a feeding tube in a patient who can’t eat. Similarly, a nurse may insert a urinary catheter in a patient before surgery, or if the patient can’t urinate normally.
The medical professional performing a procedure must follow certain precautions. For example, he needs to properly wash his hands. He must be careful not to contaminate sterile equipment by touching it with a non-sterile surface. He needs to properly disinfect the patient’s surrounding skin.
If the medical professionals fail to properly follow these procedures, an MRSA infection can result. Such an infection may be fatal or it may cause permanent damage.
If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury from an MRSA infection after a medical procedure, contact a medical malpractice lawyer. Do so immediately. There are deadlines to take legal action to obtain compensation. In some cases in New Jersey, the first deadline is only 90 days from the date of the procedure. Other cases have initial deadlines that are longer.
