Bed Sores In Pennsylvania Nursing Homes

Bedsores are also common among patients who are confined to a bed for medical purposes, including quadriplegics, paraplegics, individuals in a coma, people affected by some form of paralysis, and those who are recovering from surgery. The condition is more common in elderly patients who have thin, fragile, and dry skin compared to other people.

In patients confined to a wheelchair, bedsores generally begin on the tailbone, buttocks, shoulder blades, spine, or the backs of the arms and legs. For patients who are bedridden, the most common places for bedsores to appear are on the sides or the back of the head, ears, shoulder blades, heels, ankles, areas behind the knees, the tailbone, lower back or hip.

Manual Repositioning To Prevent Bedsores & Save Lives

Medical experts generally agree that these at-risk patients should be moved at least once every 2 hours to reduce the amount of pressure exerted on their skin, and thus prevent bed sores. In the nursing home setting, staff members should manually reposition patients who cannot move themselves on a regular basis to prevent the formation of bed sores.

If left untreated, bedsores can become infected, and these infections can, in turn, lead to death. It can be difficult to treat bedsores after they become severe, so the emphasis in a nursing home should be to prevent them from developing in the first place.

Nursing homes that fail to prevent bedsores from developing may be guilty of neglecting residents. Nursing home neglect is a key cause for filing a private civil lawsuit against the facility.

The Four Stages Of A Bedsore

As they progress, bedsores go through four distinct stages, becoming more severe as time passes, according to WebMD.

Stage 1

A stage 1 bedsore has not yet broken through the skin. The skin, while intact, will appear reddened. The sore at this point only affects the epidermis, the upper layer of the skin.

If touched, the skin remains red, rather than returning to the normal skin color as usual. This is a sign that pressure is cutting off blood flow to the area, which could lead to tissue death if left unameliorated. Stage 1 bedsores can be painful, soft, warm, firm or cold when compared to normal skin.

The first step in treating a bedsore at any stage is to remove the pressure. This is paramount to allow blood flow to return to the area. The area can also be washed with cool water and mild soap to remove the possibility of germs on the skin.

Stage 2

Moving into stage 2, the epidermis (outer layer of skin) and dermis (second layer of skin) have broken and a shallow wound is forming on the area. The wound is generally red or pinkish in color. It may resemble a ruptured blister, or actually leave a blister that is filled with pus.

The area around the sore will be red, swollen and warm to the touch. Bedsores in stage 2 can be very painful, and may ooze clear pus.

Again, the best treatment for a pressure sore is to remove the pressure. The next step is to clean the wound (it may be tender) with water and dry it gently. Your doctor or a nursing aide can prescribe a painkiller to help with the discomfort of the sore.

Stage 3

In stage 3, the wound has deepened to expose fatty tissue beneath the skin. The pressure ulcer at this point takes on the appearance of a large crater filled by yellowish, dying tissue. The internal tissue may also appear black if it has already died. The sore may smell bad and show signs of infection, including reddened edges, pus and heat.

Treatment at this stage is more difficult. As before, the pressure must be removed from the area immediately. A doctor may also attempt to debride the wound, cutting out the dead tissue so that new tissue can grow in its place. A special mattress that circulates air flow around the wound may be suggested as well.

Stage 4

In stage 4, the sore has extended deep to expose tendons, muscles or bone. The base of the wound, which appears like a crater, is crusty and dark in color since it has died. Bedsores at this stage are extremely serious. There is no doubt at this point that the wound has become infected; it will appear red around the edges, exude pus, a bad odor and heat.

Surgery may be required to correct a stage 4 bedsore. If the infection worsens, the patient may die. While antibiotics should already have been prescribed, antibacterial and antiviral drugs become an absolute necessity at stage 4. The infection, if left untreated, can lead to sepsis, a blood infection that is fatal in many cases.

How PA Nursing Homes Can Prevent Bedsores

Nursing homes have a legal obligation to provide residents with adequate and prompt medical attention. Since bedsores are common among nursing home residents, especially ones who are confined to a bed or wheelchair, these injuries should be on the nursing home staff’s radar.

Most reputable Pennsylvania nursing homes have a set policy for preventing bedsores. In many cases, nursing homes will identify patients who are at risk of bedsores and take proactive steps to prevent the complication from occurring. It’s a good policy to manually reposition patients who cannot move of their own accord at least once every two hours to reduce the pressure.

Monitoring Patients For Complications

The nursing home should also monitor at-risk patients frequently for the development of bedsores. Some residents, including those with diabetes, live at a higher risk of developing bedsores because they have decreased blood flow to the skin. These patients should be checked for bedsores regularly.

After bedsores develop, efforts can be taken to prevent the condition from worsening. Nursing home staff members can provide the resident with various supportive devices to help, including trapeze bars above the bed to prevent friction while moving around. Cushions should be placed in wheelchairs to ease the pressure against the skin. Some patients may even require specialized beds.

Can You Sue A Pennsylvania Nursing Home For Bed Sores?

There are a number of situations in which a PA nursing home can be held responsible via a lawsuit. The severe health consequences associated with bedsores, which at times can include death, often provide grounds for a lawsuit to be filed.

For a bedsore lawsuit against a nursing home to be successful, it must be proven that the nursing home neglected to care for the resident (the victim) and this resulted in them suffering damages (such as bedsores.) The lawsuit can be filed by the victim themselves or by the family members of the victim. There are other individuals who may also qualify for filing such legal claims, such as dependents, though these kinds of circumstances are rarer.

Pennsylvania Bedsore Lawyers

The experienced negligence attorneys at Schuster Law have experience filing lawsuits against PA nursing homes. If you believe you may have a case or claim for compensation from a nursing home for their negligence, get in touch with our legal team today for a free consultation. We can examine the facts of your case, establish the facts, determine liability, and ruthlessly pursue compensation on your behalf. If we fail to secure a financial award on your behalf, you will not owe any fees whatsoever.

Get in touch with us now to learn more about your legal options. Remember that it’s possible to stand up for yourself and your loved ones, fight for your rights, and with the proper legal team behind you, to have a successful case.