Nursing Home Sepsis

Sepsis is undoubtedly a life-threatening illness.

This happens when the chemicals released from the body into the stream of blood to combat infection results in inflammation.

In an attempt to fight infection, the body overreacts to its own mechanisms of defense. The process to fight germs becomes hyperactive, and causes damage, when it’s actually supposed to prevent damage.

This occurrence of overreaction can turn into an inflammation cascade, which is a challenge to control, and can only lead to failure in multiple organs. In turn, this can lead to septic shock, which is usually fatal.

While any individual can develop sepsis, subsequent to surgery for example, it is most typical in individuals who have an immune system that his weakened, especially in the elderly.

If a medical facility or nursing home does not treat it promptly, nursing home sepsis can transform into septic shock.

Septic shock can result in damage to the brain, organ failure, and maybe even death.

If a family member develops sepsis, you can ensure that the nursing home treats the disease promptly.

You should even contact and elder abuse attorney with experience to determine if the negligence of the healthcare facility resulted in nursing home sepsis.

Sepsis can start out as an infection of bacteria.

In nursing homes, infections are typical, and because of immune systems becoming weakened, more closely than others, the elderly should be monitored, even for minor infections seemingly.

Often, nursing homes are not staffed sufficiently, or trained to offer the kind of monitoring needed to prevent sepsis.

Bacteria can come from a variety of illnesses, which include: pneumonia, bedsores, urinary tract infections, infections from respiratory tract, and infections from IVs, catheters, or other tubes.

Medical staff at a nursing home must be vastly vigilant to diminish the risk of infection in the development of sepsis.


Nursing home professionals who are competent know how to care for, and prevent these underlying conditions.

Not all medical professionals, unfortunately, are suitable, and not all nursing home facilities have sufficient staff.

Sepsis happens more often, as a result, than it should.

Studies have been proven that residents in a nursing home have a risk much higher in developing sepsis than, in the general population, older adults.

According to a recent study, in fact, residents in a nursing home were diagnosed with catastrophic sepsis at much more often than residents who were not in a nursing home (14% vs. nearly 2%).

Because sepsis is life-threatening, as well as serious, if you have a family member in a nursing home, it is vastly crucial to be aware of what sepsis is all about, how it is treated, and how to prevent it, most importantly.

Infections ignored and left untreated can have critical consequences for nursing home residents.

Vital to the protection of a family member is knowing the indications of nursing home sepsis, and holding liable the nursing home for treatment they provide.

It is crucial to learn the symptoms, and connect with a personal injury nursing home neglect and abuse attorney for legal assistance.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.