Pittsburgh C. Diff Infections Lawyer
Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorneys Obtain Compensation for Patients Infected by C. Diff Bacteria in Hospitals
Many people who need to go into the hospital for surgery or other treatment believe that hospitals are clean, sterile environments. And while most hospitals and surgical centers do make significant efforts to ensure the cleanliness of their facilities, it is impossible to fully clear bacteria and viruses from every part of a hospital or other medical facility. One of the bacteria commonly seen throughout hospitals and medical facilities is C. Diff, also called Clostridium/Clostridioides difficile. C. Diff bacteria, which attacks the tissues of your intestines, and if left untreated, can even be fatal to a patient. A skilled Pittsburgh C. Diff Infections lawyer will help you recover compensation if you’ve suffered from this bacteria.
Suffering From A C. Diff Infection And Have Questions? We Can Help, Tell Us What Happened.
It is possible for a healthy individual to have the C. Diff bacteria in their digestive tract and experience no negative effects, although they are still capable of spreading the infection. However, many C. Diff infections are acquired in hospitals or surgical facilities, where patients are often less than perfectly healthy. If a patient spends a long time in a hospital or healthcare facility, or if they are given medications such as antibiotics following surgery or other medical procedures, it can allow the C. Diff bacteria to flourish in their system and begin attacking the tissues of their intestines.
If C. Diff is quickly diagnosed, it is possible to easily treat the infection before it becomes a serious, life-threatening infection for a patient. However, doctors, hospitals, and medical facilities may be negligent in either failing to diagnose or timely diagnose a C. Diff infection, or in stopping treatment before the infection is fully cured, allowing an infection to come back even stronger.
Get Advice From An Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer. All You Have To Do Is Call 412-471-4300 To Receive Your Free Case Evaluation.
If you or a loved one believe you may have suffered from a C. Diff infection acquired in a hospital or other medical facility, contact the dedicated, knowledgeable C. Diff infection attorneys at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your claim.
Common Symptoms of a C. Diff Infection
According to the Mayo Clinic, if a person begins to suffer symptoms of a C. Diff infection, those symptoms can begin as soon as five to 10 days after starting a course of antibiotics, which kills good bacteria in a person’s digestive tract that protects you from infection and allows the C. Diff bacteria to flourish. However, symptoms of a C. Diff infection can take upwards of two months to begin in the healthiest of patients.
A C. Diff infection usually begins with mild to moderate symptoms, including watery diarrhea three or more times a day for two or more days, along with mild abdominal cramping and tenderness. These symptoms should alert healthcare providers as to the possibility of a C. Diff infection, which can be confirmed through simple laboratory testing.
If a C. Diff infection is left untreated, a patient can begin suffering severe symptoms caused by the intestine becoming inflamed, and ultimately septic. Severe symptoms of a C. Diff infection include:
- Watery diarrhea 10 to 15 times a day
- Severe abdominal pain and cramping
- Swollen abdomen
- Rapid heart rate
- Fever
- Blood or pus in stool
- Nausea
- Dehydration
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Increased white blood cell count
- Kidney failure
As the infection progresses, a patient can suffer severe intestinal inflammation, enlargement of the colon, sepsis of tissues in the intestine, ultimately leading to the patient’s death.
Causes of C. Diff Infections
C. Diff bacteria are found throughout the environment, including the air, water, and on surfaces. Some healthy individuals can carry the C. Diff bacteria without suffering any symptoms of an infection. C. Diff bacteria can be spread when individuals with an infection fail to thoroughly wash their hands and they contaminate surfaces that are then not fully disinfected. If an individual comes into contact with a contaminated surface, they may end up ingesting the C. Diff bacteria. As a result, many C. Diff infections are spread in hospitals and other medical facilities, where antibiotic use is common and patients suffer from less-than-perfect health, allowing the C. Diff bacteria to take hold in patients and later spread.
Damages for Victims of C. Diff Infections
If you’ve suffered harm from a C. Diff infection that you acquired in a hospital or other medical facility, the results-focused attorneys of Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC are ready to use our experience and resources to fight to get you compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. The longer a C. Diff infection is left untreated, the more severe your symptoms can become. If you’ve had to undergo significant medical treatment for a C. Diff infection, including courses of medication or even surgical intervention, we will work tirelessly to help you obtain compensation for the harm you’ve suffered, including damages for:
- Pain and suffering
- Healthcare expenses (including both past and future healthcare expenses to treat the effects of your C. Diff infection)
- Lost wages and income
- Lost earning capacity
- Loss of enjoyment or quality of life
When your C. Diff infection is caused by the negligence of your healthcare providers, you may be entitled to financial recovery for the losses and suffering that your infection has caused you to endure.
Contact Our C. Diff Infection Attorneys Today to Schedule a Free Initial Consultation to Discuss Your Case
If you or a loved one have suffered serious symptoms of a C. Diff infection, you might not realize that you may have a right to compensation for the harm you’ve suffered due to your infection. Contact an experienced Pittsburgh C. Diff infections lawyer at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC today to schedule a free case evaluation to discuss your case and to learn more about your rights and options for compensation for damages you’ve incurred due to your infection.
Frequently Asked Questions about C. Diff Infection Claims
There are a number of factors that go into determining how long it may take to resolve a claim for damages arising from your C. Diff infection, including the need to investigate your case to identify the responsible parties and prove that your infection and harm was caused by their negligence. If it is necessary to take your claim all the way to trial, it can be a long as two to three years between the initial filing of your complaint and a verdict.
The parties who may be financially responsible to you for your C. Diff infection depends on the particular circumstances of your case. For example, your treating physician may be liable if he or she failed to timely diagnose your infection or unnecessarily placed you on antibiotics that allowed an infection to take hold. The hospital where you were treated may also be liable if your doctor is an employee of the hospital or if other employees, such as nurses or technicians, were also negligent in your care, or if it can be shown that your infection was caused by sanitation issues in the facility where you were treated.