Patient is Infected by Contaminated Surgical Equipment

This case takes place in New York and involves a female patient who presented to her primary care physician with what she believed to be an infection in a wound on her stomach. Her doctor examined the would, and prescribed a course of antibiotics with instructions to follow up in a week. Just a few days later, she presented to the hospital with pain and redness in and around the wound and was diagnosed with an antibiotic-resistant infection. The infection eventually spread to her artificial hip, which had been implanted after the patient received the wound on her stomach which became infected. It is alleged that bacteria from the infected would on her stomach was allowed to contaminate instruments used during her hip implant surgery. An equipment appraisal expert witness was sought to opine on the case.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

Expert Witness Response E-000984

I have treated thousands of cases of this particular infection in a variety of different patient populations. It is certainly possible for the infection to spread from the a wound similar to the one located  to the patient’s hip prosthesis, most likely via blood-borne spread (hematogenous). I have reviewed a similar case in the past. As a board certified Infectious Diseases specialist with clinical focus on drug-resistant bacteria, I am well qualified to review this case.

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