Sepsis, an abnormal self-destructive immune response to infection, has become the leading cause of deaths in hospital patients. The illness often progresses to severely low blood pressure, shock and ultimately organ failure and death. By taking certain safety precautions, septic-related deaths can be prevented.
An Alarming Death Case Associated With Septic Shock
According to a New York Times article, the death of a 12-year-old Queens boy in April 2010 prompted New York health officials to make their state the first in the nation to require hospitals to take measures that aggressively look for sepsis and begin immediate treatment upon detection.
The New York Times reported that sixth-grader Rory Staunton was treated in the emergency room at NYU Langone Medical Center after he cut himself while playing basketball. He was released with a simple diagnosis of a bellyache. The Times reported that the severity of his illness was not recognized until his alarming laboratory results became available. But neither he nor his family were contacted.
The story of this little boy’s final days, which was recounted by his parents in an About New York column in The New York Times, prompted the medical community nationwide to seek new approaches to heading off medical errors.
The Medical Community’s Response
The New York Times article stated that a global consortium of doctors, researchers, hospitals and advocates have spent the last decade developing guidelines on the early identification and treatment of sepsis, which lead to “significant drops in mortality rates.” The global consortium noted that if the treatment, which includes antibiotics and fluids, is started early enough, it can help the patient escape from the drastic vortex of sepsis.
However, the major problem is that these guidelines are not effective unless hospitals adhere to them. This is precisely why New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York health commissioner Dr. Nirav R. Shah have made it a major initiative on their 2013 agenda, according to The New York Times. The Times reported that the governor’s spokesman gave credit to the Staunton family by saying that the “family’s advocacy has been essential to creating a strong public will for action.”
If hospitals are trained to watch for sepsis and not simply dismiss its camouflaged symptoms as the flu or a stomach bug, many of the illness’s dire problems could be prevented and handled with simple antibiotics.
Contact New York City Malpractice Attorneys
At Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C., our New York Medical Malpractice Lawyers have successfully handled numerous medical malpractice cases and gotten our clients the compensation they deserve for the injuries they have suffered.
If you or a loved one has suffered or died from septic shock, you need to call Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. at 800-529-9997 to schedule a complimentary consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer New York today
