Relying on someone else for your care can be stressful, particularly if they aren’t vigilant in spotting the signs of potential issues such as pressure sores. Pressure sores vary from uncomfortable to debilitating, but almost always worsen without proper treatment and care.
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What are pressure sores?
Pressure sores (sometimes known as pressure ulcers or bedsores) are injuries to the skin and tissue, usually caused by prolonged pressure on the skin. They usually develop on pressure points such as heels, backs and bums.
They can happen to anyone, but usually affect people confined to bed or who sit in a chair or wheelchair for long periods of time, and often, they are completely avoidable. People at particular risk of developing pressure sores include:
- Those who suffer from paralysis causing an inability to move some or all of their body
- People who are confined to bed with illness, trauma or post-surgery
- Elderly people
- People suffering with urinary or bowel incontinence
- People suffering from medical conditions that affect their blood flow and makes the skin more fragile (diabetes and heart failure, for example)
Who’s responsible if I get pressure sores while receiving treatment?
The development of pressure sores can often be caused by poor quality of patient care in hospitals, care and nursing homes. Unfortunately, the leading cause of pressure sores in nursing homes is inadequate care. Often there can be failures to assess the risk of developing pressure sores and/or implementing steps to avoid the development of the sores. Pressure sores are painful and debilitating and have a profound impact on a person’s wellbeing. Prevention of pressure sores is always better than treatment. Daily skincare, a healthy diet, adequate hydration and regular changes of position are essential.
If left untreated, pressure sores are likely to worsen. With less severe sores, treatment involves relieving the force on the affected area, cleaning the wound regularly and applying suitable dressings, with regular reviews. For more severe sores, the removal of dead tissue may become necessary. In the worst cases, complications can occur, including sepsis, cellulitis, infections and skin cancer. Necrosis, or the death of tissue due to the failure of its blood supply, can even become life-threatening.
If you've suffered from pressure sores due to inadequate care, our expert team can help you work out where you stand. Find out more about what you can expect from a medical negligence lawyer.
We can help you.
Pressure sores are uncomfortable at best, and life threatening at worst. We’re here to help you know where you stand if you have suffered with pressure sores due to inadequate care. If you or a member of your family have experienced pressure sores or are suffering at the moment, possibly due to negligent care or inadequate treatment, you may be able to claim medical negligence compensation to help you move on from this mistake and put your life back together. Our specialist medical negligence team would be happy to discuss the circumstances surrounding your care.
For a free consultation with one of our medical negligence specialists, call us on 0151 282 1700. Alternatively, you can make an enquiry or request a call back, and one of our team will be in touch soon.