Contaminated Needles
It is of utmost importance for hospital employees to keep a clean, sterile environment so that contagious and potentially deadly diseases are not passed from patient to patient. Doctors and nurses must use special biohazard trash receptacles, and they must open freshly sealed needles for each patient.
Hospital infections are dangerous and should be prevented at all costs. However, if a medical professional decides to cut corners by using old, unsterilized needles, it can quickly spread harmful diseases. If you have developed a hospital infection after being subjected to a contaminated needle, you should fight back against this negligence. Contact a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your legal options.
Dangers of Unsafe Needle Handling
Doctors and nurses have certain responsibilities to their patients—treating them with the care, respect, and attention that each person deserves. However, these healthcare professionals can expose patients to unsafe conditions if they do not properly dispose of used needles. Also, if a needle is dropped and forgotten, an innocent patient could step on it and contract a serious infection.
Lastly, a doctor or nurse’s drug abuse habit could have led that person to use the contents of a needle, replace it with a fake solution, and then use it on other people. This can expose people to any number of potentially deadly diseases.
Viruses from Unsterilized Needles
When needles are unclean, they can carry blood-borne viruses from one patient to the next. Viruses that may be carried by contaminated needles include:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
Sometimes, these diseases are incurable and can affect a person for the rest of his or her life. If you have developed a virus from an unsterilized needle, you should immediately consult an experienced lawyer about your legal options.
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Carelessness in exposing a patient to a blood-borne pathogen is simply unacceptable. If you have suffered due to this unjust mistake, you should not let it go unpunished. For more information, contact a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 215-238-1130 today.