The Centers for Disease Control ("CDC")estimates that 2 million hospital-acquired infections occur each year resulting in 90,000 deaths. It is estimated that another 1.5 million infections occur in long-term care facilities. Many people are filing and winning medical malpractice lawsuits due to acquiring these infections while in the hospital for other reasons.
Medical-malpractice defense attorneys argue that even if every hospital protocol is followed to prevent the spread of these infections, that a hospital cannot prevent all spreads. Plaintiff's attorneys argue that when the protocols are followed the spread of the infections decreases significantly. In order to win a malpractice claim, the plaintiff must be able to trace the infection and that the patient got the infection due to the hospitals negligence.
The CDC has published new guidelines for hospitals to prevent infections. Plaintiff's attorneys is perusing a malpractice claim will need an expert to say that if these precautions had been followed, the patient would not have contracted the infection. The most basic of precautions are needed to prevent the spread which include hand-washing between patients and having hospital staff do routine sterilization of the facility.
To speak to an experienced Maryland medical malpractice lawyer please contact my law offices in Baltimore or Rockville at 1(800)320-0080.
