Pressure Sores - Medical Negligence

Pressure sores, also known as bedsores, are reddened areas of the skin, which often feel tender to touch. The most common areas of the body that people end up with pressure sores are on the heels, ankles, spine, buttocks or shoulders. These pressure sores come as a result of lying or sitting in the same position for an extended amount of time and as time goes on these pressure sores will get worse.

The longer that you are lying/sitting in the same position with no movement the worse these sores will get. The red area of the skin will get worse and become more painful and if it continues you may end up suffering skin or tissue damage. In very serious cases damage can also occur to muscles, bones, joints and tendons.

People who are bed ridden or terminally ill as well as being confined to a wheelchair are most likely to develop pressure sores as movement is restricted, meaning the blood flow is restricted to the areas where the pressure is being applied. These pressure sores can develop quickly and progress rapidly, which is why if you are in a position where movement is restricted you should have your skin inspected at least once a day as pressure sores are hard to notice to begin with so you need to ensure that your skin is checked for warm/spongy areas.

Where bed sores are present it is thought that in 95% of cases they should have been avoided by the person suffering with them receiving better care. Examples of this are a bed-ridden hospital patient should be turned regularly and have a special mattress to lie on to help prevent pressure sores from occurring. If this duty of care fails to occur then you could end up suffering as a result of it. Also it is believed that dehydration and under-nourishment can contribute to bed sores, meaning carers or nurses should ensure that vulnerable people have sufficient food and water.

Pressure sores can cause a high amount of discomfort and pain to the person suffering; this is on top of the health problems that a person will already be suffering from.

Pressure sores should be avoided through the correct care of nursing staff and if a patient is bed ridden or facing life in a wheelchair they should be moved every couple of hours to ensure that they are lying in a different position; failure to do this indicates a lack of care and ultimately results in pressure sores occurring.

If a health professional does break this duty of care or fails to notice the on set of pressure sores then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Here at Accident Consult we have already helped thousands of people to make a claim for compensation after suffering medical negligence due to a health professional failing to notice or prevent the on set of pressure sores.

It is your legal and civil right to put in a claim for compensation after suffering a form of medical negligence. If you have suffered from the effects of pressure sores in the last three years due to a duty of care being breeched then contact Accident Consult today on 08081 68 69 70 and speak to one of our advisors about where you stand with making a claim for compensation.