Serious
Injuries.
Experience.
Results.
When patients enter hospitals, they do so expecting to receive treatment that improves their health. But for far too many, hospitalization results in a devastating setback: a hospital-acquired infection (HAI). These infections are contracted during medical care in hospitals, nursing homes, surgical centers, or rehabilitation facilities.
Common HAIs include pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections from catheters, and surgical site infections. These illnesses often involve aggressive bacteria, viruses, or fungi that are resistant to standard antibiotics. Patients who were already vulnerable face sepsis, organ failure, amputations, or even death.
What makes HAIs particularly tragic is that many are preventable. Proper hygiene, sterilization of equipment, infection control protocols, and careful monitoring can dramatically reduce the risk. When providers or hospitals fail to take these basic steps, and patients suffer harm, malpractice may have occurred.
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Hospital-acquired infections are one of the most serious public health problems in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
These numbers demonstrate that HAIs are not rare, isolated events. They are a systemic crisis.
HAIs can develop in many ways, often linked to lapses in basic infection prevention practices. Some common examples include:
In many cases, investigations reveal that hospitals knew about the risks but failed to implement or enforce proper protocols.
The most frequent HAIs seen in malpractice lawsuits include:
Each of these infections is preventable with appropriate protocols.
The causes of HAIs often reveal systemic negligence, including:
These causes represent breaches of the standard of care hospitals owe to their patients.
The standard of care requires hospitals and providers to take all reasonable precautions to prevent infections, including:
When hospitals fail to meet these standards, patients suffer, and malpractice may be established.
The impact of hospital-acquired infections is devastating. Patients may suffer septic shock, multi-organ failure, amputations, or long-term complications such as chronic pain, reduced mobility, and permanent disability. Survivors often require prolonged ICU stays, repeat surgeries, and costly rehabilitation.
Families face not only the financial burden of extended care but also the emotional trauma of knowing that their loved one’s suffering was preventable. In the most tragic cases, hospital-acquired infections result in wrongful death, cutting lives short because of avoidable negligence.
To succeed in an HAI malpractice case, attorneys must show that:
Evidence may include medical records, infection control logs, hospital inspection reports, and expert testimony from infectious disease specialists. For example, if a patient developed sepsis from a contaminated central line because staff failed to follow sterile technique, liability may be clear.
At Snyder & Wenner, P.C., we understand how devastating hospital-acquired infections can be. These cases reveal systemic failures in patient safety and infection control. Our attorneys work with infectious disease experts, microbiologists, and hospital safety specialists to uncover negligence and hold providers accountable.
We represent patients who suffered long-term complications, amputations, or permanent disabilities due to HAIs. We also represent families in wrongful death claims, fighting for justice when preventable infections claim lives. Our mission is not only to secure compensation but also to demand accountability from hospitals and push for reforms that protect future patients.
Liability for hospital-acquired infections may extend to:
Victims and families may be entitled to compensation for:
Hospital-acquired infections are among the most preventable forms of patient harm. With proper hand hygiene, sterile technique, and infection control protocols, the majority of HAIs could be avoided. When hospitals and providers fail to protect patients, the consequences are devastating: disability, amputations, sepsis, or wrongful death.
At Snyder & Wenner, P.C., we fight for victims of hospital-acquired infections. Our mission is to secure justice for patients and families while pushing for systemic reforms that improve patient safety. Every patient deserves a hospital that heals, not one that harms — and when that right is denied, we are here to help.
No. Some infections occur despite proper precautions. Malpractice occurs when hospitals or providers fail to follow established infection control standards.
Central line infections, urinary catheter infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infections, MRSA, and C. diff.
