If you have had a limb amputated because doctors did not diagnose and treat an infection, you could be eligible to pursue a medical compensation claim.
This will recover the money you have lost as a direct result of your injuries, including what could be a substantial loss of past and future earnings. It will also compensate you in some way for the awful impact your amputation has had on your life.
To talk to a solicitor about an amputation from infection, please get in touch with our team today. We specialise in medical negligence claims and will be happy to offer expert legal advice, free of charge or obligation.
How can an infection lead to an amputation?
It may seem incredible that a bacterial infection can cause so much damage that a limb amputation is necessary. But sadly this does happen in the UK. Even more tragically, it is often the case that the limb could have been saved with earlier medical treatment.
So what exactly has happened to the limb?
Initial infection
Ordinarily the deep tissues the make up the limb become infected with bacteria. The bacteria may either spread from another infection inside the body, or they may enter the body from outside via a break in the skin (such as a surgical wound or cut).
Once inside the deep tissues, the bacteria will multiply. The body will attempt to fight the foreign bodies, but sometimes the infection is too aggressive or the immune system is too weak. Consequently the bacteria will not be contained, and will instead spread to an ever increasing area.
Oxygen deficiency
As the bacteria reproduce and spread, toxins are released into the body. This damages the surrounding blood vessels. The problem is compounded by the body’s response to infection, which causes the area to become inflamed, damaging the blood vessels further.
As a result, blood cannot flow through the blood vessels properly. Blood carries oxygen to the tissue and muscles, and removes waste products that have built up. Without a good supply of blood, the tissue will become deficient in oxygen and waste products will accumulate.
Tissue necrosis and gangrene
The tissue cannot survive for long without oxygen. The cells will soon begin to die, something which is called tissue necrosis.
When a mass of tissue dies because of poor blood circulation, a patient is said to have gangrene. There are different types of gangrene. The types of gangrene usually associated with infection are:
- Gas gangrene, when bacteria get into the deep tissues and release a gas
- Wet gangrene, when an injury becomes infected
Gangrene and surgical debridement
Once the tissue has become gangrenous, it cannot be restored. All the dead tissue must be cut away, leaving only the healthy tissue in place.
If only a small amount of tissue has died, the surgical debridement of the necrotic tissue will not pose much difficulty. The patient may be left with a scar or blemish, but the functionality of the limb will not be affected.
Gangrene and amputation
However, problems will arise if an extensive area of tissue has died. It may be that so much tissue ultimately has to be removed that there would not be a limb left. It is also possible that the infection has spread to the bone, a condition called osteomyelitis.
If the tissue (and the bone) cannot be saved, the limb will have to be amputated. Without an amputation, the patient’s life could be at risk, as the infection could spread even further. This makes an amputation absolutely necessary, or the patient could develop sepsis and organ failure.
Preventing an amputation from infection
The only way to prevent a soft tissue infection leading to an amputation is with early debridement surgery. This will see that the bacteria are removed from the body before too much tissue has become involved.
The provision of early surgery depends upon medical practitioners diagnosing the infection and appreciating the need for urgent surgery. If there is a failure to recognise an infection and/or proceed with immediate surgery, the patient may face an amputation. This could otherwise have been avoided with earlier treatment.
Necrotising fasciitis infection
An amputation can happen as a result of any tissue infection that is not treated quickly enough. Normally it will be a very aggressive infection, such as the necrotising fasciitis infection.
Necrotising fasciitis is often called the ‘flesh-eating disease’ because it appears as though the patient’s skin is being eaten. In fact it is tissue dying due to the lack of blood and oxygen.
Because necrotising fasciitis is fast-moving, the process of necrosis is very quick and a patient will soon have a large area of dead tissue.
Diagnosing and treating necrotising fasciitis
Due to the nature of the necrotising fasciitis infection, the condition must be diagnosed and treated without delay. Medical practitioners should act upon a patient’s symptoms as soon as they present.
Symptoms will include intense pain at the site of infection, tissue that is red/inflamed, and a fever. Such symptoms should prompt doctors to suspect a tissue infection. Steps should be taken to confirm the exact cause.
I had an amputation because an infection was not treated
If you have undergone an amputation because an infection – such as necrotising fasciitis – was not diagnosed and treated in time, you need to talk to a lawyer. If mistakes in your care were made, directly resulting in your amputation, you could be the innocent victim of medical negligence. This would entitle you to pursue a claim for compensation.
Although compensation will not undo what has happened, it will provide you with the finances to continue with your life. Past and future earnings which have been lost because of your injuries can be recovered, as can the cost of rehabilitation and equipment. All this can amount to a significant amount of money.
Contact us today
To find out if you can claim for a missed infection, please contact us today to find out more.
Call us now on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile click to call 01275 334030) or complete our Free Online Enquiry.