MRSA is a strain of Stahylococus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. S. aureus or staph is a common bacteria the normally lives on skin, MRSA is a dangerous strain of S. aureus that is not responsive to most know antibiotic treatments now available. Antibiotic treatments are generally used to combat viral infections and MRSA is a bacterial infection. Antibiotics are less effective on non-viral microorganisms such as bacteria or fungal based infections. The MRSA bacteria can enter the body through a small cut, catheter, breathing tube, even a pimple, and then move somewhere more serious like the lung, blood or bone. People with weak immune systems are particularly susceptible to this particular strain of virulent bacteria such as the elderly, residents of dirty long term care facilities and dialysis patients. Hospitals routinely take every precaution to deter staph infection risks. Large medical facilities are very aware of the health dangers posed to patients exposed to institutional staph bacteria and the resultant infections.
Negligent Medical Care and Treatment
When a patient does present with a MSRA infection caused by an exposure to the bacteria in a hospital, medical office or other rehabilitation or nursing home facility it would be important to ascertain exactly where the exposure to the bacteria took place. If the exposure to the MSRA bacteria happened due to negligent patient care or due to a failure to provide adequate, safe treatment such as use of clean equipment and instruments, maintaining wounds in a clean manner and using clean hands and gloves to treat patients then there would likely be an instance of professional malpractice and liability would result regarding the resulting MSRA infection.
Negligently Maintained Facilities
MRSA bacteria is difficult to kill and can live on many surfaces such are toilets, bath tubs, floors, even towel, sheets and other common healthcare facility surfaces. Busy doctor’s offices, large hospital facility treatment areas and rest rooms and dirty rehabilitation hospitals and nursing homes are routinely alive with MRSA bacteria and other staph bacteria. Proving facility negligence might be as simple as documenting the routine facility maintenance procedures and whether or not they were ever performed as ordered and whether bactericides were used with reasonable effectiveness under the circumstances.
Getting Legal Help
If you or a member of your family has contracted a MRSA infection which you believe is a hospital based infection due to negligent patient care or negligent facility maintenance it may be important to contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss the circumstances of the injury and the healthcare facility’s failure to properly address the source of the infection.
