Medical Negligence and Drug-Resistant Staph

    /24-7PressRelease/ - PHOENIX, AZ, July 17, 2008 - The effects of medical mistakes can go far beyond what happens to the patient. Just ask the Rivera family, the family that sued for $25 million after their son died of staph.

Drug-resistant staph is one example of how medical negligence has contributed to the injury or illness of countless individuals. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (referred to as "staph") that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin, As you can imagine, MRSA can be incredibly dangerous, especially if it manifests as an infection.

MRSA is especially dangerous because it is transmitted through direct physical contact. Most cases of MRSA are harmless. But if the bacteria is allowed to enter the body through a wound, it can cause serious and life-threatening infections, such as:

• Lung infections and pneumonia
• Skin infections
• Bone and bone marrow infections
• Blood vein infections
• Heart valve infections
• Brain and brain membrane infections
• Toxic Shock Syndrome

The effects of infection can range from minor to severe, and may affect many bodily parts, systems and functions. While normal strains of bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, the methicillin-resistant strains can be life threatening.

What to do If you suspect negligence
In many cases, staph infections occur inside hospital walls due to the numbers of surgical procedures taking place. Whenever the skin is incised, we are vulnerable to infection.

In some instances, resulting staph infections could have been prevented by better levels of care and careful adherence to safety and sterility standards. Even one failure to wash hands when dealing with an open wound could result in staph transmission and infection. Any person who is subjected to dangerous stains of MRSA should exercise their rights and tell someone about their suspicions of negligence.

Talk to an attorney
If an MRSA infection is threatening a member of your family, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help you. If your loved one contracted a staph infection while under hospital care, you may have a medical negligence claim and be entitled to compensation.

About ePR Source

If you suspect a physician or healthcare worker made a mistake that resulted in a serious staph infection, please visit the web site of Phoenix-based personal injury firm Snyder & Wenner, P.C.

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