Kansas City Bedsores Lawyers
Bedsores Can Lead to Extreme Pain and Serious Complications
A study from the CDC showed that around 1 in 10 nursing home residents have bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers. These wounds are caused when constant, heavy pressure cuts off blood flow to an area of the body for a long period of time. None of our organs can fulfill their function without oxygen and nutrients, and that includes our skin.
Skin cell death can lead to the development of bedsores in as little as 4 to 6 hours of oxygen deprivation. Regular care and attendance are essential for elderly and infirm patients to help avoid bedsores. Without nurses to ensure a patient’s skin isn’t under sustained pressure, bedsores may develop and advance into painful, serious wounds.
If you or a loved one has developed bedsores due to nursing home abuse or negligence, contact our Kansas City bedsore lawyers at DM Injury Law. We’ll listen to your story and help you seek a favorable outcome and your deserved compensation.
Call us to schedule a free consultation. We are a contingency-fee-based law firm, which means you don’t pay unless we win your case.
Call (816) 888-7500 or contact us online today for a free consultation.
Signs and Causes of Bedsores
Studies have found that patients over the age of 70 are more likely to develop bedsores. Physical characteristics linked to bedsore development include:
- Dry skin
- Low BMI
- Poor nutrition
- Poor general health
Medical-related causes include:
- Regular cigarette use
- Reduced mobility
- Mental impairments
- Low blood pressure
- Incontinence
- Diabetes mellitus
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Sepsis
The most common causes of pressure ulcers include:
- High friction
- High pressure
- Moisture
- Shear (forces moving in the opposite direction)
It can be hard to know if you’re being mistreated or neglected in a nursing home. If you suspect your nurses or caretakers are not providing you with ample support, speak to our pressure ulcer lawyers in Kansas City. We’ll listen to your concerns and help you uncover the truth.
Stages of Bedsores
Patients with bedsores report a burning sensation that may shift among parts of the wound or multiple wounds but is nearly constant. The longer they go untreated, the worse the pain gets.
However, if possible, this is the least of the symptoms related to pressure ulcers. These wounds do not often lead directly to death, but complications can cause serious symptoms and declining health.
Bedsores may range from mild and easy-to-treat to deep, complex wounds. Most medical professionals use the National Pressure Ulcer Staging System to discuss the severity of these injuries.
Deep Tissue Injury (Pre-Stage I)
These sores aren’t on the surface of a patient’s skin at all but appear as a bruise or a blood blister—one caused by pressure damage. The area may be painful and may differ in temperature or consistency from the undamaged surrounding skin.
Even if treated, these injuries may lead to Stage III or IV bedsores.
Stage I
Usually considered a sign of risk rather than a serious case, a Stage I bedsore appears as redness (on light skin) or red, purple, or blue discoloration (on darker skin).
As with deep tissue injuries, temperature and consistency differences show between the sore and surrounding skin.
Stage II
These pressure ulcers do not appear as bruises but instead as blisters or shallow, shiny patches where parts of the epidermis and dermis have been rubbed off.
Stage III
When patients lose all skin in an area, the subcutaneous fat layer may be visible (some locations, like ears and nose, do not have a fat layer). The wound may be surrounded by still-connected but dead tissue.
This skin type is called slough and is still soft and moist. It may be in a range of colors, from whitish to green to grey. The wound may be bigger than it appears from the exterior.
Stage IV
Muscle, tendon, and even bone may be visible at this stage, and the wound often extends underneath intact skin around the opening. The bedsore may be partially surrounded by slough or by eschar, dead tissue that is dark in color, thick, and leathery.
At this stage, patients are susceptible to osteomyelitis or a bone infection.
Unstageable
When the full thickness of a patient’s skin tissue has died, but the resulting slough and/or eschar cover the whole wound so its depth cannot be determined, doctors will label a pressure ulcer “unstageable.”
When enough dead skin has been removed, the wound will be labeled Stage III or IV, as determined by the ratings above.
If you’re unsure about the severity of your bedsores, contact DM Injury Law for guidance. Our Kansas City pressure ulcer and bedsore attorneys will seek the justice and reparations you are owed.
We also have an expert staff of investigators, medical records specialists, and case managers who will provide you with additional support throughout your entire case.
Call (816) 888-7500 or contact us online today for a free consultation.
Potential Complications of Bedsores
Bedsores don’t usually cause death directly, but studies show that elderly hospital patients who develop them are more likely to die within a year. Bedsores that form after surgery can lead to long-term disability.
Open wounds from bedsores are prone to infection, as bacteria thrive in warm, moist areas of the body. Normally, skin protects against infections, but when pressure ulcers damage or remove the skin, the immune system becomes the main defense.
In elderly nursing home patients, weakened immune systems are common, making them more vulnerable to serious conditions like:
- Bloodstream infections (bacteremia)
- Sepsis
- Cellulitis (skin infection)
- Meningitis
- Other life-threatening complications
Other potential complications from bedsores include:
- Abnormal bone growth in soft tissue (heterotopic ossification)
- Internal bleeding from artery damage (pseudoaneurysm)
- Cancerous sores in scar tissue (Marjolin ulcers)
- Side effects from treatments for bedsores
Symptoms can range from mild and easily treatable to serious and painful. If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these conditions, speak to a pressure sores lawyer in Kansas City.
Can I Sue a Nursing Home for Bedsores?
The presence of one Stage I bedsore is likely not enough to launch a lawsuit, but when these wounds become more serious, numerous, and long-lasting, you may have a good case for nursing home abuse.
Mounting medical bills are certainly a concern as pressure ulcers deepen and complications arise, but your pain and suffering are an even bigger cause for concern.
Here are parties that you may be able to hold accountable for your bedsores:
- Nursing home facility
- Nursing home staff
- Nursing home management
- Medical providers
How Long Do I Have to File a Bedsore Claim in Missouri and Kansas?
- Missouri: You have 2 years to report a claim involving bedsores from nursing home abuse and neglect.
- Kansas: You have 2 years to report a claim involving bedsores from nursing home abuse and neglect.
Allow our Kansas City bedsore attorneys to take over your claim for you. We’ll be at your side the entire process and inform you of every step we take. Our goal is to help you be in a better and safer position than when you first came to us.
What Compensation Can I Seek for Bedsore Injuries Resulting from Nursing Home Negligence?
The more severe your bedsore injuries, the more you are likely to receive. In cases like these, you can potentially receive two types of damages (compensation.)
Economic Damages
Economic damages refer to wages you actually lost because of the injuries. This can include:
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation and therapy
- Long-term care and treatment
- Funeral and burial costs (if the accident resulted in wrongful death)
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are losses that are harder to measure. They usually have to do with emotional and psychological damage, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
- Trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of independence
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
Get in contact with our Kansas City nursing home bedsore lawyers at DM Injury Law to discuss the details of your case. It can be hard to determine how injuries like these came to be, but we’ll dive deep to uncover the truth and build a strong case.
Schedule your free consultation today. Remember, you don’t pay us unless your case is won.
Call (816) 888-7500 or contact us online today for a free consultation.
Past results obtained on behalf of clients afford no guarantee of future results, and every case is different and must be judged based on its own merits.
