Augusta Georgia Hospital Negligence Lawyers

Hospital Acquired Infection and Disease

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities often neglect their obligation to provide patients with a safe and clean environment in which to receive medical care. In fact, a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that approximately 1.7 million healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and an estimated 99,000 related deaths occurred in U.S. hospitals in that year alone. Unfortunately, many resulted from negligence (failure to exercise that degree of skill and care generally required of professionals under similar circumstances) on the part of the hospital staff and/or physicians. The attorneys at Burnside Wall have experience representing people injured by hospital acquired infections and diseases and stand ready to assist you.

Use of equipment which has not been properly sterilized or disinfected is a major safety concern and a primary contributor to the transmission of HAIs and disease. This is illustrated by a recent newspaper article which reports that as many as 1200 veterans may have been exposed to infection after being treated with improperly sterilized equipment in the ENT clinic at the Veterans Administration Hospital (VA) in Augusta, Ga. (Augusta Chronicle 9/9/09)

Procedures which utilize endoscopes, syringes, surgical instruments, multi-dose vials and other types of reusable equipment require diligence in sterilization and disinfection on the part of medical practitioners. All too often, however, negligence occurs and infection or disease is transmitted to an otherwise healthy patient.

Examples of infections and diseases commonly transmitted include:

• Hepatitis C
• Hepatitis B
• E-Coli
• Salmonella
• Tuberculosis
• HIV (AIDS)
• Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
• Staphylococcus (Staph infection)

If you or someone you know has suffered this type of injury, contact a lawyer at Burnside Wall for a free consultation to learn more about filing a medical malpractice claim. The lawyers at Burnside Wall have a history of success in this type of case and are prepared to assist you.