When residents of Missouri like you are vulnerable and in need of hospital treatment, you turn to medical professionals for help. Unfortunately, staff negligence can cause you to face even more problems instead. Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is one of these potential issues, and we at Hall Ansley, PC, will discuss it today.
HAP is also known as nosocomial pneumonia. Unlike community-acquired pneumonia, HAP typically manifests in a faster way and sometimes has more aggressive symptoms. Pneumonia is considered to be hospital acquired if you present symptoms in 24 to 48 hours after your admission to a hospital. In other words, the pneumonia cannot already be incubating before your arrival.
HAP is a strain that is drug-resistant and resilient to treatment, likely because of the environment it can be found in. Additionally, patients are more likely to catch it while their immune system is damaged. Your risk of contracting HAP may be worsened if you:
- Are a resident in a long-term care facility
- Have received outpatient treatment in a hospital or hemodialysis clinic in the last 30 days
- Were hospitalization in an acute-care hospital in the last 90 days
- Received intravenous therapy for wound care in the last 30 days
Sometimes, a patient can catch HAP despite the best efforts of staff. In other cases, however, negligence from the staff can cause the patient to contract this illness. Bacteria can grow if the hospital is not kept clean. HAP can be passed around if the staff does not observe proper hygiene such as washing hands or sterilizing equipment.
If you have gone to a hospital recently and acquired HAP, you may want to contact an attorney who specializes in medical negligence and malpractice. You can also visit our linked web page above to learn more about HAP.