New York Attorney for Bedsores Due to Nursing Home Neglect

Experienced New York Bedsore Attorneys

Skin ulcer |Decubitus ulcer | Bed Sores Due to Nursing Home Neglect

What Are Bed Sores?

Bed sores (also spelled bedsores) have various names. You may hear them referred to as a skin ulcer, a decubitus ulcer, a pressure ulcer, a pressure injury or pressure sores. The most important thing to understand is that bedsores are completely preventable. They result from negligent medical care.

What Are the Beginning Signs of a Pressure Sore?

The first sign is that the skin is discolored, reddened or darker. An African American's skin may look purple or blue and shiny. The skin may feel warm when touched and while the skin around the pressure ulcer is soft, the bedsore area feels hardened.

During the first stage, the skin ulcer is not yet an open wound. There is no break or tear in the skin.

Bed Sore Stages

There are four pressure injury stages. The first stage was described above. The descriptions of the other three stages are as follows:

• Stage 2 pressure ulcer. During this stage, the skin breaks open and forms an ulcer. Ulcers are painful and tender to the touch. The sore may look like a scrape or blister filled with fluid. Some of the skin may be dead and will not recover. Also the sore extends into the deeper lawyers of skin.
• Stage 3 pressure ulcer. At this stage, the sore worsens and goes deeper into the tissue underneath the skin. The ulcer looks like a small crater. Fat may become visible, but you do not see muscle, tendon or bone.
• Stage 4 pressure ulcer. At the fourth and final stage, the decubitus ulcer is very deep. It extends into the muscle and bone, which results in serious damage to deeper tissues, tendons and joints.

The risk for infection is greatest at the 3rd and 4th stages. Types of infections include bone infection and sepsis (blood infection). In contrast to the earlier stages, during these 3^rd and 4^th stages, the patient may experience little or no pain due to the extensive tissue damage. Even so, people can die from the infections and complications that arise from bedsores in the later stages.

Pressure Ulcer Prevention

Bedsores are not normal or acceptable. When medical staff turns a patient frequently, changes bedding and keeps the patient’s skin clean and dry, patients do not develop pressure sores. Prevention is not difficult or complicated. It simply requires regular attention and standard follow-up.

Find Out How Our Lawyers Can Assist You with Your Bedsore Nursing Home Negligence Case

At Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP we have access to medical experts to help us evaluate the evidence in bedsore cases. We offer a free consultation to discuss the details of the injury and can gather the necessary documentation to bring a case. In instances where the patient has died as a result of skin ulcer complications, we discuss the family member’s right to take legal action for wrongful death. We have compassion for your loss and work closely with you during the case.

Find out how we can help.

Call us toll free at 888.519.6400, or contact us in Garden City at 516.248.2234, or in Flushing-Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx at 718.539.3100. You can also fill in our contact form, and we will get in touch with you.