At Curcio & Casciato, our Chicago personal injury lawyers have a successful track record of handling unstageable pressure ulcer claims in Chicago. Unstageable pressure injuries are a severe type of pressure ulcer, often caused by negligence in hospitals or nursing homes.
Healthcare facilities have a duty to provide patients with a standard level of care, which includes taking preventive measures to minimize the risk of developing pressure ulcers. When staff fail to monitor immobile patients or ignore early warning signs, the consequences can be devastating.
If you or a loved one has suffered from a severe pressure injury due to nursing home or hospital negligence, our Chicago personal injury attorneys can help you take the necessary legal action to seek justice and recover compensation for your losses. Call (312) 321-1111 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today.
What is an Unstageable Pressure Ulcer?
So, what does an unstageable pressure ulcer mean? An unstageable pressure ulcer is a type of bed sore that occurs due to prolonged pressure on a specific area of the skin, cutting off blood flow and causing severe tissue damage.
This type of wound or bed sore is characterized by full-thickness skin and tissue loss, but the depth of the wound cannot be determined because the sore is completely obscured by eschar (dead tissue) or a non-removable dressing like a cast or surgical bandage.
Pressure Ulcer Staging
Pressure ulcer staging is a system used to determine the severity and guide the best treatment for pressure ulcers. Each stage indicates the level of tissue damage caused by the pressure injury. The stages range from mild skin redness to deep wounds exposing muscle or bone.
The pressure ulcer staging system is important because early identification and prompt treatment of pressure ulcers can help prevent complications and improve healing outcomes.
Stage 1 Pressure Ulcer
A stage I pressure ulcer is the mildest type of pressure sore and is usually the first warning sign of a developing issue. These sores typically appear and begin as red, irritated areas on the skin caused by constant pressure on one spot. The skin stays intact, but it feels warmer, firmer, or more tender than the surrounding areas.
Stage 2 Pressure Ulcer
A stage II pressure ulcer is more serious than stage 1 and involves damage to the outer layers of your skin. At this stage, the sore might look like an open wound or a blister, and the area is usually red, swollen, and painful. This happens when prolonged pressure on the skin causes it to break down further.
Stage 3 Pressure Ulcer
Stage III pressure ulcers are deeper and more serious wounds. At this stage, the pressure sore has caused the skin to break down completely, and the damage extends into the tissue underneath. You may see a crater-like wound, and the area might have signs of infection, like redness, swelling, or drainage.
Stage 4 Pressure Ulcer
A stage IV pressure ulcer is the most severe type of pressure sore you can experience. Due to prolonged pressure on a specific area of your skin, there’s full-thickness skin and tissue loss, and the wound may be exposing underlying fascia, muscle, bone, tendons, or joints. This level of tissue damage is severe and requires immediate medical attention and proper wound care to prevent further complications.
If you’re dealing with a stage 4 bedsore injury in Chicago, it’s important to seek medical help right away and consider legal assistance if negligence played a role in your condition.
Stage 4 Bedsore Life Expectancy
A stage IV pressure ulcer is a severe injury that can significantly impact your health and, in some cases, your life expectancy.
Many factors contribute to Stage 4 bedsore life expectancy, including how quickly the wound is treated and whether or not further infections and complications develop. Without proper wound care, these deep pressure ulcers can lead to sepsis or bone infections, which can be life-threatening.
Is an Unstageable Pressure Ulcer Worse Than Stage 4?
Unstageable necrotic pressure ulcers can be just as severe—or sometimes even more dangerous—than Stage 4 pressure ulcers. When a bed sore is completely covered by necrotic tissue (eschar), this may indicate underlying damage underneath, but the true depth of the wound bed is hidden, making it impossible to assess the damage. This concealment can indicate underlying damage underneath the skin’s surface, potentially affecting muscles and tissues near underlying fascia, muscle, bone, tendons, or joints without any visible signs.
Since unstageable pressure ulcers are completely covered by necrotic tissue (eschar) or a non-removable dressing, it can be more challenging to effectively treat pressure ulcers in this state.
Unstageable Pressure Ulcer Treatment
Why is unstageable pressure ulcer treatment vital? This severe type of pressure injury is covered by dead tissue, obscuring the wound bed and making it impossible to determine the depth of the wound or bed sore without proper intervention.
Early identification and prompt treatment of unstageable pressure ulcers are essential to initiate wound care strategies that promote wound healing and prevent further complications. Addressing underlying risk factors, such as sustained pressure on a specific area, and implementing preventive measures to minimize the effects, like regular repositioning, proper hydration, and nutrition, is critical. These steps not only effectively treat pressure ulcers but also prevent the damage underneath the skin’s surface from worsening. By prioritizing prevention and early intervention, pressure ulcers can help prevent complications and improve the quality of life and recovery for the patient.
So, in short, an unstageable pressure ulcer is typically worse than a Stage IV pressure ulcer because treatment of unstageable pressure ulcers is more complicated.
When Can You Sue for Unstageable Pressure Ulcers in Chicago?
If you or a loved one has suffered from an unstageable pressure ulcer in Chicago, you may be considering legal action. These severe wounds, marked by obscured full-thickness skin loss and tissue damage, often result from negligence in medical facilities. Understanding when to sue can help you take steps toward justice and compensation.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
To understand this, it’s essential to know what does unstageable pressure ulcer mean. This type of pressure ulcer is a severe wound whose wound bed is covered by dead tissue. This conceals the true damage within the wound bed and makes proper wound healing paramount.
Unstageable pressure injuries can indicate neglect, especially when caused by prolonged pressure on a specific area of the body without proper wound care. Nursing homes have a duty to address the risk of developing pressure injuries, such as immobility, vascular disease, and impaired blood flow and oxygen, which are known to cause or worsen pressure injuries.
Neglect occurs when the facility fails to provide necessary wound care, including early identification and prompt treatment of pressure ulcers. The staff knows which factors contribute to a pressure injury, so proper wound care and promoting wound healing through repositioning, adequate hydration, and nutritional support should be a basic treatment for pressure ulcers in any care facility.
Developing pressure ulcers, especially unstageable pressure injuries, is typically caused by a lack of attention or preventive measures, and in these cases, families may have grounds to sue for failure to prevent or negligent treatment for unstageable pressure injuries.
A nursing home abuse lawyer in Chicago can investigate whether neglect played a role in the development of unstageable pressure ulcers. Facilities that fail to follow standards of care or address known risk factors can be held accountable for the pain, suffering, and complications caused by unstageable pressure ulcers.
Hospital Negligence
If a patient develops pressure ulcers, especially unstageable pressure ulcers, because of hospital negligence, such as failing to monitor their condition or provide adequate treatment for unstageable pressure ulcers, it may constitute grounds for a hospital medical malpractice lawsuit.
Unstageable pressure injuries indicate full-thickness skin and tissue loss, where the wound bed is covered by necrotic tissue (eschar) that conceals the extent of the damage. Proper wound care is critical to remove dead tissue, manage infection, and promote wound healing. Hospitals are expected to take preventive measures to minimize the risk of developing pressure injuries and also measures to prevent complications and improve the patient’s wound healing.
When hospitals fail to prevent or provide prompt treatment of pressure injuries, and a patient suffers harm, families may wonder how to sue a hospital for negligence in Chicago.
Working with an experienced attorney can help uncover whether the hospital failed to take necessary precautions or neglected to provide its best treatment for pressure injuries.
By pursuing legal action, you may hold the hospital accountable for the preventable unstageable pressure injuries and seek compensation for the pain and suffering caused by negligent wound care and prevention.
Severe Type of Pressure Ulcer vs Kennedy Ulcers
Unstageable pressure ulcers and Kennedy ulcers are serious wounds but have different underlying causes. Let’s look at a Kennedy ulcer vs bedsore:
Unstageable pressure ulcers are a severe type of pressure sore that occurs due to prolonged pressure. Over time, the constant pressure causes damage to the area of the skin and tissue loss. Treatment of unstageable pressure injuries is vital to promote wound healing and prevent infections.
Kennedy ulcers, however, appear suddenly and worsen quickly, usually in terminally ill patients. The underlying causes of Kennedy ulcers are linked to the body’s systems shutting down, which leads to a lack of blood flow. Instead of promoting wound healing, the patient’s comfort is prioritized since they face impending death in the next few days.
If your loved one died and you believe their Kennedy ulcer was misclassified as an unstageable pressure ulcer, contact a Chicago nursing home wrongful death lawyer at Curcio & Casicato.
How Our Chicago Nursing Home Bedsore Lawyers Can Help
If you or a loved one has suffered from unstageable pressure injuries due to nursing home or hospital negligence, don’t wait to seek legal help. These painful and preventable injuries can have serious health consequences, and you deserve justice.
At Curcio & Casciato, we understand how overwhelming it can be to deal with the consequences of severe pressure injuries. Our law firm is here to guide you every step of the way. We are dedicated to holding negligent hospitals and nursing homes accountable and ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve.
Call (312) 321-1111 or contact us online to speak with a trusted Chicago nursing home bedsore lawyer today.
