As part of a standard duty of care, hospitals must ensure that there are precautions in place to help keep patients healthy and safe. This means medical professionals—doctors, nurses, and staff—must properly care for patients in a manner that keeps them safe.
One step that must be taken to help protect patients is for the hospital to ensure that they are only using sterile equipment for various procedures. Here are some things that can happen if hospitals fail to use sterile instruments.
Risk of Infection
If there are unknown substances on a surgical instrument, it can lead to a specific part of the body being exposed to bacteria. This could mean a heightened risk of infection.
Risk of Disease
There are some situations in which surgical equipment is not properly sterilized after being used on another party. These sterilization issues can result in the spread of diseases from one patient to another, such as HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, and more.
Risk of Death
If certain bacteria is spread or illnesses are contracted as a result of contamination of certain medical equipment, it could result in horrible infections or even death.
Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver is currently facing allegations of improperly sterilized surgical equipment. Claims state that they have found unknown substances on surgical equipment, even causing them to stop procedures after placing patients under anesthesia.
Our legal team at Denver Trial Lawyers ® is dedicated to representing those who have been harmed as a result of the negligence of medical facilities and medical professionals. We help injury victims seek compensation and the justice they deserve.
Contact our firm today at (303) 647-9990 to speak with someone on our team about your potential case.
