Patients go to the hospital for treatments and procedures to help them feel better. Unfortunately, not every individual will have a positive outcome from their hospital stay. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that roughly one out of every 31 hospital patients will develop a healthcare-associated infection as a result of their time in a healthcare facility. There are roughly 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in the United States each year, and around 99,000 of these patients die during their time in the hospital.
Patients undergoing any type of medical procedure may develop an infection. Whether it is a routine procedure like a tonsillectomy or a major operation such as an organ transplant, surgery patients are among those at the greatest risk. Fortunately, there are several precautions patients can take ahead of time to reduce their risk of infection. Follow all patient safety instructions that you are given before your surgery. For example, you may be instructed to implement a strict diet, take certain medications, or relax as much as possible before your operation. There are reasons why your doctor is giving you these orders, so it is important to follow what they say for your health and well-being.
Once your surgery or other medical procedure is over, you can still follow some basic precautions to keep yourself safe and healthy:
While not all healthcare-associated infections can be prevented, patients can play an active role in recovery by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, following doctor’s orders, and following infection control procedures to keep germs and bacteria away.
Some healthcare-associated infections are more common than others. Here are some that are most likely to develop and cause significant patient illnesses:
If you or a loved one acquired a serious infection while at a Pennsylvania hospital, you should contact one of Ross Feller Casey’s experienced hospital infection attorneys now for a free case review. The Philadelphia law firm has won numerous multimillion-dollar recoveries on behalf of those who acquired severe infections during their hospital stay and is the recognized leader in litigating such cases.
As with all our medical malpractice cases, we operate on a contingency basis, so there will never be a cost to you unless a financial recovery is made.
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