If necrotising fasciitis is not treated quickly enough, it can result in blood poisoning – known medically as septicaemia.
Septicaemia is a potentially fatal illness which happens when a large amount of bacteria get into the bloodstream.
If a patient develops septicaemia because medical practitioners do not diagnose and treat necrotising fasciitis in a reasonable amount of time, there could be grounds for a compensation claim.
For more information on claiming for medical error, please get in touch with our legal team today. We are experts in medical negligence law and will advise whether you are entitled to compensation.
Necrotising fasciitis – soft tissue infection
Necrotising fasciitis is a bacterial infection affecting the soft tissues. It is a very serious illness because it causes the tissue to break down and die.
This happens because once the bacteria get into the soft tissue, they reproduce and release a toxin. This damages the blood vessels, resulting in oxygen deficiency and a build-up of waste products.
The tissue cannot survive without a healthy supply of blood and soon the cells will begin to die. When tissue death happens at a cellular level, it is called tissue necrosis. When widespread tissue necrosis occurs, as it will do with necrotising fasciitis, it is called gangrene.
Immediate treatment of necrotising fasciitis
When tissue becomes gangrenous, it has died and cannot be repaired. As it cannot be restored, the dead tissue must instead be removed. This is known as debridement surgery or surgical debridement.
Surgical debridement is a matter of urgency with necrotising fasciitis because it is the only way to stop the bacteria spreading. Without surgical treatment, the bacteria will continue to reproduce, reaching an ever greater area of tissue. All of this tissue will ultimately die.
Therefore treatment must be given as early as possible to prevent further tissue necrosis. Intravenous antibiotics will be needed, but surgical debridement is the main source of treatment. A patient with necrotising fasciitis should be classed as a medical emergency and rushed to theatre.
Bacteria spreading to the blood
Along with spreading to a greater area of tissue, it is also possible that without treatment the bacteria will travel to the blood.
When a large amount of bacteria get into the bloodstream in this way, a patient is said to have septicaemia. This is another way of saying blood poisoning.
Furthermore, the bacteria may spread to the bone. This is called osteomyelitis.
Preventing the additional complications of septicaemia and osteomyelitis is another reason why it is vital that necrotising fasciitis is treated immediately. Conditions such as septicaemia are potentially fatal and will make a patient critically unwell.
Septicaemia
As mentioned above, septicaemia is when bacteria get into the bloodstream, causing an infection of the blood.
There are various ways in which septicaemia can occur, including as a result of another infection that has spread from another part of the body – such as necrotising fasciitis.
Typically septicaemia is associated with the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Rigors (uncontrollable chills and shivering)
- Pale and clammy skin
- Shallow, laboured breathing
Septicaemia complications
Septicaemia is so dangerous because it will trigger the body to go into a septic inflammatory response.
This occurs because the immune system attempts to fight off the infection. To do this, the blood vessels open up to allow infection-fighting agents into the body. However, when the infection is present across the body (as it is with septicaemia), it will mean that many blood vessels will open up and leak.
Due to this loss of fluid from the vessels, the flow of blood will be greatly reduced. This will lead to a severe drop in blood pressure, which is called septic shock. The loss of blood pressure will mean that the organs do not receive enough blood, and therefore do not receive enough oxygen.
The organs cannot be sustained without blood and oxygen, and they will soon begin to fail. The patient will fall critically unwell with multi-system organ failure, from which they may not survive.
I got septicaemia from necrotising fasciitis
If you or your loved one suffered a septic response because necrotising fasciitis was not diagnosed and treated, there may be a case of medical negligence.
A lawyer will be able to clarify whether you are entitled to pursue a claim. The test of a medical negligence claim is whether or not a reasonably competent medical professional would have acted in the same way.
For example, your treatment may have been delayed because medical practitioners could not diagnose you accurately. The question is: would a competent doctor have been able to diagnose your condition, or would you have been subject to the same delays?
If it is found that necrotising fasciitis should have been detected earlier, there will be a breach of duty. If this caused you to suffer complications that could have been avoided – such as septicaemia – there will be a case of medical negligence.
Medical negligence claims
Medical negligence claims are also called clinical negligence claims in England and Wales. Anyone who has been wrongfully harmed as a result of medical error is legally entitled to pursue a claim.
To find out if you can make a medical negligence claim for necrotising fasciitis and septicaemia, you need to discuss your case with a lawyer. You may want to enquire regarding events that happened to you, or you can enquire on behalf of a loved one.
If you are advised that you can make a claim, you will need to instruct your solicitor to begin the claims process. Your solicitor will then handle the case for you, working to get you the compensation you deserve. This will recompense for the physical, emotional and financial trauma you have endured.
Contact us today
To talk to a solicitor about making a necrotising fasciitis claim, please get in touch with our friendly team today. We are a firm of medical negligence specialists with a particular expertise in necrotising fasciitis claims. We will advise what options are available to you, including whether you can claim compensation.
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