Dallas Necrotizing Fasciitis Lawyer

Have you contracted necrotizing fasciitis while at a hospital or nursing home in Texas? Call us today at (214) 651-6100.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial infection of the skin. It spreads quickly and kills the soft tissue of the body. Accurate diagnosis is essential in order to ensure prompt treatment as the disease can become deadly in a short period of time.

The media often refers to necrotizing fasciitis as a "flesh-eating disease" or "flesh-eating bacterial infection," but there is more than one type of bacterium that can cause this infectious disease. According to public health officials, group A strep is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis, which is often contracted in nursing homes and hospital settings.

While infections from group A strep bacteria are usually mild and easily treatable, in cases of necrotizing fasciitis, the bacteria spreads quickly. If not identified and treated immediately, the infection will spread to surrounding tissue, nerves, fat, and blood vessels.

The bacteria doesn't actually "eat" flesh; rather it creates toxins which destroy living tissue, thus making the infection very serious with the potential to cause significant harm, including amputation or wrongful death.

Known risk factors.

In spite of the rarity of the disease, some people are more prone to its development. The majority of people who get necrotizing fasciitis have additional health conditions that compromise their immune systems, such as kidney disease, cancer, or even diabetes.

Medical professionals are aware of these risk factors, and know to take extra care when someone with a compromised immune system suffers a wound or bed sore. If a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional fails in their duty to test for, diagnose, and mitigate such infections, they may have committed medical malpractice.

Not every case of necrotizing fasciitis is caused by malpractice, but we're happy to listen to the facts of your case, investigate, and explain the options available to you and your family. We never charge a penny to discuss your case, and if you hire us to handle your claim, we'll do so on  a no-win, no-fee basis.

Signs, symptoms and treatment.

The symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis quite often appear within a few hours of an injury, and may be mistaken for another illness or less-serious infection. For instance, some people may experience pain or soreness they believe is the result of a pulled muscle. The skin may be warm to the touch with purplish or red swollen areas that spread quite rapidly. For others, ulcers, blisters, or black spots appear on the skin. Many patients say the pain is much more severe than they expected from the appearance of the wound.

Some of the symptoms of the condition include chills, fever, vomiting, or fatigue. Because the symptoms are often confused with other conditions, people often delay seeking medical treatment for the condition unless already hospitalized or in a nursing home.

Prompt treatment is first and foremost, and consists of strong IV antibiotics. Unfortunately, antibiotics do not always reach all the infected and dying areas if toxins have already destroyed soft tissue and reduced blood flow. For this reason, doctors often choose a combination of antibiotics and surgery.

If tissue damage is serious, surgery and debridement (removal of dead tissue) is often a critical step in order to stop the infection from spreading further, with time being of great importance.

Was it caused by medical malpractice?

Medical malpractice can be a tough standard to prove, but we're happy to evaluate the strength of your case free of charge. Our Dallas attorneys have considerable experience with medical malpractice cases (as well as nursing home injury cases), and are available to take your call 24 hours a day at (214) 651-6100. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to communicate via email, fill out the contact form on this page.

If we feel as though you have an actionable claim, we'll explain your options moving forward. If you choose to hire us, we'll begin working on your case immediately. Best of all, we never charge a retainer and work exclusively on a contingency-fee agreement. What this means is that we only earn a fee if and when we win your case or settle out of court. If for some reason we do not put money in your pocket, you literally never owe us a penny.