If antibiotics are administered before surgery, it will help to prevent post-operative infections such as necrotising fasciitis. If antibiotics are not provided and necrotising fasciitis does develop, there may be grounds for a medical negligence claim.
Prophylactic antibiotics
All types of surgery carry the risk of post-operative infection, although some patients will be more at risk than others. For example, patients that have a compromised immune system, have a high body mass index (BMI), are diabetic or are having abdominal surgery will be at increased risk of developing a post-operative infection.
In order to prevent an infection occurring, patients who are deemed to be at-risk should be given intravenous antibiotics before the procedure. This is known as administering prophylactic antibiotics, with ‘prophylactic’ meaning preventative. This will help to ward off any bad bacteria, working to prevent a post-operative infection.
Failure to administer prophylactic antibiotics
If there is a clinical need to administer antibiotics – meaning a patient is known to be at risk of developing an infection – medical practitioners have a duty to ensure this is achieved. If there is a failure to administer prophylactic antibiotics to an at-risk patient, and he or she goes on to suffer an infection, medical practitioners will have breached their duty of care. Should this cause serious complications, there will be a case of medical negligence.
Necrotising fasciitis claims
Necrotising fasciitis is a serious type of post-operative infection. It is known as the flesh-eating disease and can be fatal if not treated in time. The infection is incredibly fast-moving and within hours will create an area of necrotic tissue. This will quickly grow in size, and may even spread to the blood. All of the dead tissue will ultimately need to be removed, leaving a gaping hole or an amputated limb (depending upon the site of infection).
If necrotising fasciitis develops in a patient who should have been given prophylactic antibiotics before the operation, there may be grounds for a medical negligence claim. This is because medical professionals will have breached their duty of care in failing to administer antibiotics. Necrotising fasciitis is a severe infection, so it will undoubtedly cause serious complications, all of which could have been avoided had medical professionals recognised the risks a patient faced.
Expert legal advice
If you or your loved one has developed necrotising fasciitis because prophylactic antibiotics were not administered, even though there was a clinical need to do so, there will be grounds for a compensation claim. Get in touch with us today for expert legal advice about necrotising fasciitis claims.
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