Clostridium difficile colitis (also called C. difficile or C. diff) is an inflammation of the colon that affects tens of thousands of people every year in the country. C. difficile is a bacterium that can cause injuries that range from mild to life-threatening. You can get C. difficle from, paradoxically, antibiotics and it can also be passed from person to person.
The infection is most common in people who are taking antibiotics while in the hospital. It is especially common in older people in hospitals and nursing homes. At particularly risk for C. difficle is elderly nursing home patients who are not being properly cared. C. difficile is endemic to nursing homes because the C. difficile bacterium is often spread by the feces of those infected.
C. difficile has bedeviled hospitals for years. But the number of C. difficile cases in this country has risen and so have the number of medical malpractice cases involving C. difficile. One common problem is the continued use of antiperistaltic medications like Imodium or Lomotil. Both are contraindicated so if a doctor sees signs and symptoms that the patient might have C. diff, the doctors must stop prescribing that medication.
C diff is a relatively easy diagnosis to rule out yet too many doctors miss it. Learn about the four most common mistakes that lead to C-diff lawsuits and see sample verdicts in C Diff cases here
Why is medicine like Imodium and Lomotil so awful for C diiff? Because they slow down gastric motility, these drugs can make toxin removal a real challenge. This can trigger toxic megacolon, it which can lead to the need for a total colectomy or death.
Malpractice and nursing home claims arise when doctors or caregivers see the symptoms but don’t order a C. diff test or initiate empiric therapy.
Our lawyers handle C. diff and other infection malpractice and nursing home cases in Maryland. If you have been injured as the result of medical or hospital malpractice or negligence, call our attorneys at 800-553-8082 or click here for a free consultation.
- Sample legal complaint in a C-diff case
- Sample C-diff lawsuit: example case in Prince George’s County and an analysis of these claims
- Get sample verdicts and settlements in these cases and learn the four mistakes that usually lead to lawsuits in these cases