Any type of surgical procedure can introduce an infection because the wound provides an opportunity for the bacteria to enter the body.
If an infection does develop after surgery, medical practitioners must be quick to recognise the problem and provide the appropriate treatment.
This is important because the infection can make a patient seriously unwell if left untreated, especially if it is an aggressive infection such as necrotising fasciitis.
The failure to diagnose and treat necrotising fasciitis introduced during a surgical procedure could amount to medical negligence. Contact us for more information.
Surgical procedure infection
Any sort of puncture wound to the skin will leave the body vulnerable to infection. This is because the skin normally prevents bacteria getting into the body and causing an infection. But if there is a break in the skin, the bacteria will have a chance to get through this defence barrier and into the body.
Therefore a surgical procedure carries a risk of infection because it involves the skin being cut open or punctured in some way. Even just a needle-prick wound from an injection or cannula can be enough for the bacteria to enter the body.
Recognising infection after a surgical procedure
If a patient is still in hospital after developing a post-operative infection, it should not take medical practitioners long to diagnose the problem. The patient will be experiencing extreme pain at the site of the wound. Furthermore, the wound will be red and hot to touch. The patient may feel unwell with a fever. Medical practitioners should know these symptoms are suggestive of an infection and carry out further tests.
However, some infections (including the necrotising fasciitis infection) can take days to materialise after initial colonisation. Therefore it is possible that the infection will develop after a patient has been discharged from hospital, while they are recuperating at home.
A patient should be warned about the risk of infection before the operation, during the consent process. He/she should also be warned to seek medical advice, should any signs of infection arise.
Failure to detect infection after operation
If a serious infection such as necrotising fasciitis is not detected after a surgical procedure, it will make the patient critically unwell. If the infection is not diagnosed due to medical error, there could be a case of medical negligence. For instance, there might have been a failure to:
- Recognise a post-operative infection while a patient is still on the ward
- Advise a patient of the risk of infection during the consent process
- Advise a patient of the signs of infection and advise them to seek urgent medical help should they arise
- Re-admit a patient who has a post-operative infection
- Diagnose and treat a necrotising fasciitis infection in a reasonable amount of time
If you or your loved one has been harmed because of such medical failings, please get in touch with our legal team today.
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