Families want to trust nursing homes to care for their loved ones, and while Virginia has regulations in place to ensure that safety measures are followed, nursing home injuries can still happen. When they do, it is crucial that the resident receives prompt medical attention, and the nursing home should be held accountable if negligence is involved.
Certain nursing home injuries are recognized as red flags when it comes to identifying nursing home neglect or abuse, and this includes pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores.
Pressure ulcers are relatively common. Doctors treat thousands of Americans suffering from them each year. However, nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to these types of wounds and the potential harm they can cause if not treated properly.
How nursing homes provide protection and treatment for pressure ulcers has been a long-time quality of care indicator for the medical community, and all nursing home staff should be trained in prevention.
What Are Pressure Ulcers?
A pressure ulcer is diagnosed most often when a person spends an extended period lying or sitting without repositioning their body. This can cause undue pressure on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, and bone. The injuries tend to occur on skin over bones including the tailbone, shoulder blades, spine, and the back of arms and legs.
They are recognized by changes in the person’s skin texture, swelling, draining, and overall soreness in an area.
A pressure ulcer that is left untreated could lead to further injury including cellulitis (which affects an even larger area of skin and tissue and includes inflammation as well as more swelling), osteomyelitis (an infection in a bone that can severely damage joints and limbs), and sepsis (a condition that occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and can lead to severe organ damage).
Prevention and Treatment for Pressure Ulcers
Nursing home residents are at risk of developing pressure ulcers if the facility staff does not provide proper care, which includes turning bedridden residents regularly to relieve pressure that may be forming and repositioning wheelchair-bound residents frequently.
Also, furniture should have extra padding and support to protect vulnerable areas, and residents should be kept clean with their clothes and bedding free of bacteria that could cause infections.
Nursing home employees must understand that ulcers can develop quickly, sometimes within just a few hours, and they should follow the necessary precautions to prevent them. If they fail to do so, the nursing home may not be meeting its legal obligation to protect your loved one from negligence.
When a patient has a pressure ulcer, a doctor will first “stage’’ the wound, and if it is identified in its early stages, medical staff can gently clean the sore with saline and cover it with a bandage. However, the patient should be closely monitored to determine if further treatment, such as antibiotics for an infection, is necessary.
In cases where the pressure ulcer has progressed to a later stage, a doctor will perform a debridement. This procedure involves using a scalpel to remove dead tissue to promote healing.
When a pressure ulcer has gone undiagnosed for an extended period of time, affecting bones and joints, further treatment, including a strong possibility of surgery, is required.
The stages of pressure ulcers are:
- Stage 1: A red, blue, or purplish area first appears like a bruise on the skin. It may feel warm to the touch and burn or itch.
- Stage 2: The bruise becomes an open sore that looks like an abrasion or blister. The skin around the wound can be discolored. The area is painful.
- Stage 3: The sore deepens and looks like a crater. There are often dark patches of skin around the edges.
- Stage 4: The damage spreads to the muscle, bone, or joints. It can cause a serious bone infection called osteomyelitis. It can also lead to a possibly life-threatening blood infection called sepsis.
- Unstageable full-thickness pressure injury. A stage 3 or 4 injury that is covered with black dead tissue (eschar) or creamy yellow, gray/black, or white, thick slimy tissue (slough). It is difficult to see the severity of the injury because of the covering.
- Deep tissue pressure injury. A very dark red, maroon, or purple colored area of the skin that doesn’t disappear when pressed on or a dark deep wound or blister filled with blood that is seen through a separation in the skin.
Contacting a Virginia Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Keep in mind that pressure ulcers are an indication of medical negligence which is a form of nursing home abuse. If you suspect this is happening to your loved one, you should notify officials at the facility immediately and file a complaint.
If the issue is not resolved (and resolved swiftly), a nursing home abuse lawsuit may be necessary to protect the rights of the resident and ensure the abuse at the nursing home stops.
Virginia has laws regulating how its nursing homes operate and the foundation of care your loved one will receive. Everyone should be treated with respect and dignity.
Although taking legal action can be complex and you may feel overwhelmed, your loved one’s health and safety may be at stake. A lawyer experienced in nursing home negligence can help you by explaining the laws and the steps you will need to follow to ensure your loved one is safe and the nursing home is held accountable.
For more information or to set up a free case consultation, call or text Curcio Law at (703) 836-3366 or contact us online.
Justin Curcio joined Curcio Law in January 2020. Justin received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in 2015. After passing the Virginia Bar in 2015, Justin was in-house counsel for an insurance defense firm (Allstate/Esurance/Encompass) for over four years before joining Curcio Law. During law school, he worked for the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the law firm of Bartlett, McDonough & Monaghan, LLP. Contact Justin at jcurcio@curciolaw.com.
