Of course, not all of them do, but many post-surgical infections begin with a mistake either during or after surgery. Even relatively healthy Kentucky patients could contract a serious or deadly infection after a surgery.
When it comes to post-surgical infections, they are separated into three types. A superficial infection, which occurs on the skin where the surgical incision was made, may only require some antibiotics, consistent cleaning and careful monitoring. An infection that begins deeper inside the incision site could affect the muscles and tissue around it. In some cases, the infection affects either the space between the organs or an organ itself. The latter two types of infections in particular can cause a great deal of harm to a patient if not handled properly, quickly and with the right intervention.
Since the skin protects the inside of your body from infections, medical personnel are tasked with taking numerous precautions to help ensure that as few germs as possible enter a patient’s body when the skin is open. Failing to properly sterilize equipment and people could allow germs to enter the body. Germs are nearly always in the air, but with the proper precautions, they should not be of concern to a patient after surgery.
It could take up to 30 days for post-surgical infections to be discovered. By then, Kentucky patients could suffer from serious health consequences. Whether the infection arose due to a mistake during the surgery, inadequate post-operative care or a delayed or missed diagnosis after the fact, the patient suffers from the mistake. If someone believes that a medical mistake led to a serious or deadly infection after an operation, he or she may benefit from discussing the matter with a medical malpractice attorney.
Source: hopkinsmedicine.org, “Surgical Site Infections,” Oct. 14, 2017
