Diagnosed with a Stage 4 Bedsore or Pressure Ulcer? Call the Stage 4 Bedsore Lawyer in Springfield for Help
Bedsores are one of the most commonly occurring injuries in nursing homes. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provide that bedsores are considered “never events” – meaning that they should never occur in the presence of proper care and treatment. Despite being never events, some bedsores are allowed to continue to fester because nursing homes and long-term care facilities both fail to prevent bedsores but also fail to monitor or check for bedsores. That means some bedsores can progress to the most severe type, a stage 4 bedsore. The development of a bedsore to stage 4 is considered a medical emergency and is a direct result of nursing home abuse or neglect. The experienced stage 4 bedsore lawyer in Springfield at the Noll Law Office can help victims and their families recover compensation for any type of serious nursing home abuse or neglect case, especially due to a stage 4 bedsore or pressure ulcer.
Their experienced nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers in Springfield understand the physical, emotional, and financial impacts of late-stage bedsores. Many nursing home or long-term care residents with stage 4 bedsores will experience extreme pain and suffering, suffer permanent injuries, and will often require immediate and life-saving treatment or surgery. Victims and their families in Illinois can call the Noll Law Office to schedule a free consultation to learn more about a victim’s rights to compensation and how an experienced stage 4 bedsore lawyer in Springfield like theirs can fight back against some of the largest facilities and insurance carriers in Illinois and the region. To learn more, call (217) 414-8889 today to get started.
What are Bedsores and How are They Formed?
Also known as a pressure ulcer, bedsores occur when there is prolonged pressure to a bony area of the body. This continued pressure can cause a decrease in circulation, meaning that the tissue under pressure receives less oxygenated blood. As a result, tissue can begin to breakdown or can become more prone to damage from friction or other damage.
There are varying stages of pressure ulcers that can occur as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, and even a stage 1 pressure ulcer should never occur. If it develops to a stage 4 pressure ulcer, it is most certainly due to negligence in preventing bedsores and in inspecting or monitoring for bedsores.
Overview of the Stages of Bedsores
Generally, there are four stages of bedsores or pressure ulcers. All types of bedsores are considered to be “never events,” although the later stages are particularly egregious. The different types of bedsores and the stages are determined by how far the damage has progressed into the body.
As such, the stages of a bedsore include the following:
- Stage 1 – the damage has not broken through the skin, but there is a red or purple appearance which is painful
- Stage 2 – damage has progressed into the top two layers of skin, resulting in either a crater-like or blister-like appearance. There is often a discharge of fluid from the wound, which is warm to the touch and often quite painful.
- Stage 3 – when a pressure ulcer has progressed to this stage, the damage is through the skin and into the fatty layer of tissue below it. That means that pain is significant and there is often drainage, blackness around the wound (necrosis), foul odors, redness, swelling, bleeding, pus, and other damage to the wound area.
- Stage 4 – the most serious type of bedsore, this occurs when the damage has progressed into the muscle layer of tissue. There could be damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, or even bones. Victims are often in extreme pain and have symptoms of an infection or sepsis. This type of wound is a life-threatening emergency.
Stage 4 Pressure Ulcers in Illinois: Explained by an Experienced Stage 4 Bedsore Lawyer in Springfield
Stage 4 bedsores are the worst type of pressure ulcer that can occur as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect. If a victim is diagnosed with a stage 4 pressure ulcer at the time of identification of the ulcer, it is most certainly a result of abuse or neglect given that no staff members identified it at an earlier stage. The progression of a lower grade pressure ulcer to a stage 4 bedsore is also a result of a neglect or abuse.
Although the signs of a stage 4 bedsore are obvious, it is important to recognize these symptoms which are different than a stage 3 bedsore so that victims can get immediate medical treatment. Some of the most common signs of a stage 4 bedsore include the following:
- Visible muscle or bone from the wound
- Black or yellow tissue surrounding the ulcer, which is dead tissue and may form a thick “ring” around the wound
- Deep red crater or hole
- Foul smell that is apparent when entering the room or getting near the victim’s injury
- Severe and extreme pain in most instances, but in some cases, if there is nerve involvement, the victim may not experience much pain at all despite there being an extreme injury with muscle or bone exposed – this is a classic sign of a late-stage bedsore when the wound is so large and would apparent to be agonizing, but it is not due to dead nerves
- Pus or drainage from the sore in a constant manner
- Prolonged and high fever that is not responding to normal treatment or antibiotics, and
- Other damage that is extreme, severe, and often graphic to a pressure point of the body.
Risk Factors for the Development of Stage 4 Bedsores and Why Nursing Homes Must Provide the Same or Higher Care to These Residents
Certain residents may be at risk for pressure ulcers, but there are things that nursing staff members can do to try to prevent pressure ulcers from developing. Some of the most common risk factors include the following:
- Incontinent residents
- Residents who are immobile or have impaired mobility
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Residents with an altered mental state
- Being over the age of 65
- Diabetic residents, and
- Residents who have other health complications that either limited their mobility, decrease blood circulation, decrease their ability to recover from injury, or who otherwise lack the physical or cognitive means to prevent bedsores themselves or to communicate that they are experiencing pain likely to be due to a bedsore.
Causes of Stage 4 Bedsores in Illinois
There are many different causes of stage four bedsores. Almost all of these are due to nursing home abuse, neglect, or negligence. Some of the most common causes include the following:
- Failing to turn and position residents
- Leaving residents who have impaired mobility or are immobile in a bed or chair for a prolonged period of time
- Failing to regularly inspect a patient’s skin and care for their basic needs (changing, toileting, etc.), leading to a failure to identify a bedsores
- Failing to ensure that residents are properly nourished and hydrated
- Failing to seek treatment for bedsores that are a lower stage than stage four
- Failing to provide the prescribed treatment for a low stage pressure ulcer, leading to the development of a stage 4 bedsores
- Other causes of pressure ulcers that the experienced stage 4 bedsore lawyer in Springfield at the Noll Law Office can help handle for you.
Treatment for Stage 4 Pressure Ulcers
Stage four bedsores are difficult to treat, and may never heal or may lead to wrongful death. Some of the most common treatments for stage 4 bedsores include the following:
- Debridement of the wound, which is a surgical procedure
- Antibiotic therapy to treat any infection that has developed
- Skin graft surgeries
- Wound vac therapy to try to close the wound
- Special dressings to treat the wound
- Appropriate hydration and nutrition to aid in wound healing
- Use of a special mattress
- Turning and positioning a patient at appropriate intervals
- Other treatments for stage four bedsores including special IV drips, procedures, and life-saving measures.
If You or a Loved One Were Diagnosed With a Stage 4 Pressure Ulcer, Call the Experienced Stage 4 Bedsore Lawyer in Springfield for Help Today
Stage 4 bedsores and pressure ulcers are the worst of the “never events” because they combine substandard preventative care with outright careless or reckless monitoring and treatment. For a stage 4 bedsore to occur, it often means that providers would have had to miss the signs and symptoms of stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 bedsores, which then still allow it to progress further. This type of nursing home abuse, neglect, and negligence is what can cause extreme pain and suffering to nursing home residents.
If this happened to you or a loved one, call the experienced stage 4 bedsore lawyers in Springfield to schedule a free consultation to learn more about your rights to compensation under Illinois law. They are fifth generation lawyers who have served the local community with respect, competence, and zealous representation. To learn more about your rights and how the Noll Law Office can help you, contact them today by dialing (217) 414-8889 or by sending them a message through their “Contact Us” box available here.