Jacksonville Attorneys Obtain Damages For Clients
Who Suffer Pressure Ulcers

Seeking Recovery For Wounded Patients

Anyone confined to bed or otherwise immobilized for an extended length of time, including people in wheelchairs, can acquire pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores or pressure sores. These sores develop when pressure against the skin limits blood flow and injures the skin and underlying tissue. They most often develop on bony areas such as hips, heels, ankles, and the tailbone. Pressure ulcers can develop quickly and be difficult to treat, making them a serious complication for patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other extended-care facilities.

If you or a loved one has developed pressure ulcers and suffered debilitating and dangerous injury, our experienced Jacksonville medical malpractice attorneys with Fallgatter Catlin & Varon, P.A., stand ready to file a claim on your behalf. Patients have a right to receive a certain standard of care, and if that care is found to be lacking and results in injury, we seek damages for that injury including medical costs and any associated financial expenses. It’s important to contact us as soon as possible: Under Florida law, you have only two years from the date of your injury to file a malpractice claim. The more time we can spend on investigating the circumstances of your case and developing a winning strategy, the better your chance of recovering damages that compensate you as fully as possible.

Common But Preventable Injuries

People can develop pressure ulcers in hospitals and nursing homes. The origins of these wounds are the same in both settings—a patient spends too much time in one position without being turned or moved, or is given inadequate padding to cushion areas of the body that come in contact with hard surfaces. Elderly patients in hospitals and paralyzed people residing in long-term-care facilities may be at greatest risk for developing pressure ulcers, but any person confined to bed can acquire them under certain conditions.

Most people don’t realize that the skin is our largest organ, and any damage to it can cause damage elsewhere in the body. The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel categorizes pressure ulcers by stage, depending on severity:

• Stage I: This is the beginning stage of a sore in which no skin is broken and the area may be slightly discolored, tender and painful when touched.
• Stage II: The outer layer of skin and part of the underlying layer are damaged, and the wound may be shallow and blistered.
• Stage III: The ulcer is a deep wound, exposing fat and some dead tissue and may have caused damage beyond the primary wound.
• Stage IV: The wound involves large-scale loss of tissue, exposing bones or tendons, with damage extending far beneath the primary ulcer.

Pressure ulcers that reach the latter stages may result in infections that can spread throughout the body and into the bloodstream, leading to amputation, sepsis, or even death.

That’s why as your advocates, we call upon medical experts to determine the cause and extent of your injury as well as your long-term prognosis so that we know whom to hold liable and how much to seek in damages. Hospitals and nursing homes have formidable legal teams at their disposal. You deserve the best legal team you can find, one with the skill, malpractice litigation experience and determination to match those resources and prevail in settlement or at trial.

Contact Us For Help With Your Medical Malpractice Claim

At Fallgatter Catlin & Varon, P.A., our Jacksonville personal injury attorneys have the skills, access to medical experts and experience to handle even the most complex medical malpractice cases, including those stemming from pressure ulcers. Contact us online or call our office today at (904) 353-5800 for a free consultation with one of our medical malpractice attorneys. There are no fees unless we succeed.*

• In some cases, clients will be asked to pay the costs associated with providing services. These costs, which will be fully explained, never include fees for a lawyer’s time.

Medical malpractice takes various forms. The following represent some of the more common types of medical malpractice:

Birth Injuries Infections resulting from treatment Improper operation of medical devices Restraint injuries Errors in blood transfusion Inaccurate x-ray readings Surgery performed on the wrong organ or limb

Surgical errors Over-medication Improper medication Failure to diagnose Delayed diagnosis Wrong diagnosis