Illinois IV Infiltration Attorney
Intravenous feeding, medication administration, and other functions are usually safe and effective in hospital settings. Therefore, pretty much all patients who walk through the door receive IVs, whether they need them or not. Infiltration, one of the most common IV administration side-effects, is the accidental leakage of various non-vesicant solutions from the vein and into the surrounding tissue. Many dextrose solutions, antibiotics, or even normal saline solutions could cause infiltration. If left unchecked and untreated, IV infiltration leads to intense pain, tremendous swelling, compartment syndrome (pressure buildup due to internal swelling or bleeding), and even amputation of the affected limb.
Issues like IV infiltration are common largely because harried hospital workers often start IVs on patients. Furthermore, since this happens during the patient intake process, a non-doctor or non-nurse often starts an IV. These professionals are not fully qualified to administer IVs under such circumstances. As medical care providers, hospitals and clinics have a legal responsibility to do better. If hospital employees are negligent at work, victims are eligible for legal compensation.
Since the experienced Illinois IV infiltration attorneys at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman routinely handle these matters on a nationwide basis, we are very familiar with most local courts, including their informal and unwritten procedural rules. So, instead of concentrating on what to do or say next, we concentrate on preparing and presenting your claim for damages. As a result, we are usually able to obtain maximum compensation in these cases. That compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
First Party Negligence
Usually, the ordinary negligence doctrine applies to most IV errors. Basically, negligence is a lack of care.
Generally, people have a duty of reasonable care. For example, motorists must be well-rested and otherwise fit to drive. Once they get behind the wheel, they must follow the rules of the road and drive defensively.
In most situations, medical professionals have a slightly higher duty of care. They must “provide safe and effective care for clients.” In other words, they must have the proper professional skills. And, they must use all these skills, not just some of them, every time they care for a patient.
IV errors, although they are unintentional, are not “accidents.” People accidentally leave the gate open. They don’t accidentally puncture the skin in the wrong place. The medical professional duty of care requires more.
On a related note, the negligence claims that Chicago IV infiltration attorneys file do not blame nurses or anyone else for medical errors. Instead, these claims simply require people to accept responsibility for the mistakes they make. Illinois would be a better place to live if we all behaved this way.
Third Party Responsibility
When employees are negligent at work, their employers are usually financially responsible for damages. The respondeat superior rule applies if employees are negligent during the course and scope of their employment.
Illinois law defines all these key terms in broad, victim-friendly ways. For example, the persons who administer IVs in hospitals and clinics could be independent contractors or even unpaid volunteers. However, these individuals are usually employees for negligence purposes. That’s because the employer controls their behavior, at least to an extent.
Count on a Hard-Hitting Chicago Cook County Attorney
Injury victims are usually entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced IV infiltration attorney in Chicago, contact Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman by going online or calling 410-567-0800. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.
