Could the hospital be responsible for my mrsa?

There is a type of staph bacteria known as Healthcare-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA). This is a type of staph bacteria that does not react to certain antibiotics. MRSA can cause skin infections, as well as other infections such as pneumonia. It can be fatal. According to the CDC, 94,360 MRSA infections occurred in 2005 in the United States.

Patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities are especially susceptible to MRSA due to their weak immune systems. It is easily spread by healthcare staff whose hands have come in contact with other infected patients. So it is possible that your husband became infected with MRSA while he was in the hospital. Patients undergoing invasive procedures such as surgery are particularly vulnerable to MRSA.

If your husband developed an MRSA after spending time in a hospital, he may have legal options. For example, if the hospital staff and/or surgeon failed to provide your husband with the appropriate standard of medical care, your husband may be able to sue for medical malpractice. MRSA infections are considered preventable among the medical community. Some states have passed laws requiring hospitals to screen high-risk patients for staph infections. If the patient tests positive for a staph infection, the hospital must isolate the patient and take extra care to prevent the spread of the infection to others.

Your husband's case should be reviewed by a medical malpractice attorney so that it can be determined if the hospital and/or surgeon failed to take required precautions to prevent and/or treat your husband's infection.

Consult with a Medical Malpractice Lawyer to learn about hospital acquired MSRA and how you can seek compensation for the infection and injury.