January 16, 2025 | Nursing Home Abuse
Decubitus ulcers, also called bedsores or pressure ulcers, are serious soft tissue injuries. They are very painful and have a high risk of complications. Bedsores can develop and worsen quickly in vulnerable people, even becoming life-threatening.
Pressure ulcers are often preventable, especially in a skilled nursing facility or hospital. When they happen and are allowed to worsen, they may be a sign of medical malpractice or neglect.
Has a loved one developed a bedsore in a hospital or nursing home? If so, the facility and medical providers may be held responsible if they were negligent.
Risk Factors For Bedsores
Bedsores typically affect individuals who are immobile or have limited movement. Common risk factors include:
- Limited mobility: People confined to a bed or wheelchair or with limited ability to shift and reposition themselves are at high risk.
- Age: Older adults have thinner skin that is more easily damaged. They are also more likely to develop infection and have a slower healing time.
- Chronic conditions: Diabetes, vascular diseases, or conditions affecting circulation increase susceptibility to pressure sores.
- Obesity
- Nerve damage or loss of sensation
- Dehydration and malnutrition: Poor nutrition weakens the skin and slows healing. Sadly, up to 85% of nursing home residents have malnourishment.
- Incontinence: Prolonged exposure to moisture from urine or feces damages the skin.
When medical care providers fail to account for these risk factors, patients may suffer unnecessarily.
The Duty of Care: Preventing and Treating Bedsores
Medical providers owe a legal duty of care to patients. They must provide the medically accepted standard of care. This is based on the actions of a reasonable, competent professional in similar circumstances.
This duty applies to nursing homes, hospitals, and licensed or certified healthcare providers.
When the quality of care falls below the accepted standard, the duty of care is breached. The hospital or nursing home, as well as healthcare professionals, may be held responsible for harm caused to the patient.
Medical providers must provide proactive and effective care and attention to prevent bedsores. This includes reasonable steps such as:
- Assessing patients for pressure ulcer risk factors
- Developing individual care plans to reduce this risk
- Performing frequent checks for redness and other early signs of bedsores
- Providing regular repositioning of patients to reduce prolonged pressure
- Ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration
- Regularly changing the bedding and clothing of patients who need assistance
- Using safe products for incontinence and moisture prevention
- Use of specialized supportive services like mattresses and cushions that help redistribute pressure
Medical providers also have a duty to provide proper treatment when sores develop. They should recognize pressure ulcers in the early stages.
Appropriate care should be provided to:
- Support healing
- Reduce the chances of the ulcer worsening
- Minimize the risk of complications
Proper wound care is essential. Infection is a common and life-threatening complication of pressure ulcers. Patients may develop sepsis, septic arthritis (joint infection), and bone infection (osteomyelitis).
Without prompt, effective treatment, bedsores can quickly worsen. A stage one bedsore has no breaks in the skin. It can progress to stage two within hours in vulnerable people.
The most severe stages affect deeper tissue, including muscle, tendon, and bone. At stage four, a bedsore leaves muscle and bone exposed. It’s estimated that 60,000 people die from bedsores every year.
Common Causes of Bedsores in Medical Settings
Pressure ulcers often occur due to neglect or substandard care in medical facilities. Common causes include:
- Improper wound care: Failing to properly treat early-stage bedsores allows them to worsen.
- Delayed diagnosis: This happens when a medical provider fails to recognize and diagnose a pressure ulcer before it worsens.
- Understaffing: Many nursing homes operate with inadequate staff, leaving high-risk patients unattended.
- Lack of training: Untrained staff may not recognize or prevent early signs of pressure ulcers.
- Miscommunication between care providers or failure to keep adequate patient notes
- Poor infection control procedures: This allows the spread of bacteria among patients and staff members.
Pressure ulcers often affect the most vulnerable patients. These injuries are sometimes unavoidable. However, they can reflect systemic issues within a facility or poor care quality.
When Are Bedsores a Sign of Neglect or Malpractice?
Doctors and facilities have a duty to provide a certain standard of care. Failing to meet this standard may be considered negligence. Severe or untreated sores may point to below-standard care.
If your loved one develops a bedsore in a hospital or nursing home, signs that it may be malpractice include:
- Advanced bedsores: Stages three and four ulcers, deep wounds exposing deeper tissue and even bone, are typically preventable with proper care. They may indicate a delay in care or inadequate treatment.
- Recurring ulcers: Patients developing multiple sores or chronic ulcers may not be receiving adequate treatment.
- Inconsistent records: Gaps in medical charts or care logs (or missing records) could suggest malpractice and possibly even attempts to conceal poor care.
- Sepsis, severe infection, and other complications: Severe infections resulting from untreated sores are often preventable.
CMS issues federal standards and requirements for long-term care facilities. Their quality of care requirements state that bedsores shouldn’t develop unless the patient’s clinical condition shows they were unavoidable.
Holding Medical Facilities Accountable For Bedsores
Hospitals and nursing homes can be held liable for bedsores caused by negligence. Patients and families can file a lawsuit to hold the facility and providers accountable.
A personal injury lawsuit allows you to seek compensation for medical care, physical pain, and other losses. It can ensure that your loved one receives the care they need, including a transfer to another long-term care facility if necessary.
When facilities and doctors are negligent and cause harm to vulnerable patients, they should be held accountable. Contact our Nashville nursing home abuse lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your case and legal options. Let us fight for the justice you and your family deserve.
Contact Our Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm Today To Get More Information
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Nashville, Lexington or Bowling Green, please contact our nursing home abuse lawyers at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a free case evaluation.
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