Sepsis

Often Preventable, Always Deadly

An Attorney and Survivor With Rare Insight

Early identification often halts or reverses sepsis. When the condition causes death or limb loss, it usually means an infection has spread uncontrollably. Attorney L. Bradley Schwartz entered an emergency room with classic symptoms that went unnoticed and untreated. Within hours, he was comatose; eventually, his hands and feet were amputated.

Schwartz has rare insight into the details of survival, including blood transfusions, wound vac treatments, vasopressors, ventilators, surgical revisions, and dressing changes. These personal experiences allow him to guide clients through the legal, practical, and personal aspects of sepsis litigation and recovery.

Death and Disfigurement

The Reality of Diagnostic Delay

L. Bradley Schwartz understands better than any practicing attorney what it means to survive the preventable, catastrophic results of untreated sepsis. He nearly died when he developed the condition in a hospital emergency room. Despite lab tests and vital signs signaling a need for immediate antibiotics, doctors failed to act until it was almost too late. While death certificates frequently list sepsis as the cause, some doctors and hospitals use it to justify deaths that were actually preventable.

If sepsis develops during an ER visit, a routine hospital stay, in a nursing home, after surgery, or following discharge, patients and families must determine if a mistake or systemic error allowed the condition to progress.

What Causes Sepsis

Infection, Misdiagnosis, or Neglect?

Sepsis-also known as septic shock, septicemia, or bacteremia-is a life-threatening chain reaction that can cause organ failure, brain damage, blindness, amputations, and death. It can stem from pneumonia, staphylococcus, strep, or meningococcal meningitis. Surgical wounds and untreated bed sores can also turn septic once bacteria enter the bloodstream.

When identified too late, sepsis requires vasopressors. Used as a last resort to save lives, these strong drugs can cause amputations by severely damaging blood vessels. Medical malpractice attorney and survivor L. Bradley Schwartz helps patients determine if their experience could have been prevented.