Medical NegligenceSepsis Negligence Claims
Sepsis is a disease that many people have never heard of or been affected by. Sepsis, however, causes many deaths a year and infects many people.
Our highly experienced team of specialist medical negligence solicitors have over forty years of experience in dealing with sepsis claims. If you or your family have been affected you may be entitled to claim compensation. Our experts will be able to advise you comprehensively about the merits of your claim, funding and ensure that you and your family get the best possible results.
All our cases work on a no win, no fee basis, meaning you only have to pay us for our help if we are successful.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is defined as the reaction of the human body to a bacterial infection. When infected with bacteria the body’s natural response is to immediately release white blood cells into the bloodstream to counter the infection. Additionally, the body tissues swell to prevent the infection spreading. This biological process is known as ‘inflammation’.
If the patient’s immune system is vulnerable or, if the infection is very severe then the infection can quickly spread throughout the entire body. In response, the immune system reacts and in attempting to shut down the infection, causes the inflammation to affect the patient’s entire body also.
Inflamed tissue is not very helpful to good blood flow and interruption of blood flow can then lead to a drop in blood pressure. This drop in blood pressure can cause damage to tissues and organs which are starved of the blood they need to function properly.
Common risk factors and causes
Infections can be caught in the community leading to hospital treatment. Alternatively, the infection may develop in hospital or it may be caused by hospital treatment such as surgery or other types of invasive treatment
Symptoms
Symptoms include low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, increased temperature, shivering.
Treatment
Sepsis is a medical emergency and prompt diagnosis is essential. It is treated with very strong antibiotics – usually by way of an intravenous drip.
Why Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors?
We’re independently recognised as leaders in this field by a number of different sources including the leading Legal Directories.
Many of our solicitors are members of the Law Society’s and AvMA’s (Action Against Medical Negligence) Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel and are accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
We also have several team members with a background in the healthcare profession, meaning they have an in-depth understanding of both the medical and legal sides of your case.
Feature sepsis negligence case
A 32-year-old pregnant woman who died after two junior surgeons operated unsupervised to remove an inflamed appendix, but removed a healthy ovary by mistake. The error was discovered by histopathology, but not reported properly to those treating her, so she developed septicaemia and died two weeks later.
At the Inquest the Coroner found that “a window of opportunity was missed” to operate again and save her. Investigations into fitness to practice by the General Medical Council resulted in some of the doctors involved being given restrictions on their practice.
Outcome: Substantial out of court settlement for the family
"He [James Bell] is incredibly caring towards his clients and nothing is too much trouble for him." He's also intuitive and has good judgement." Chambers UK, 2021