“Unstageable pressure wound, decubitus ulcer, also referred to as a bedsore is a ‘Never Event’ according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This means that the care rendered at bedside at this hospital is broken. If care at bedside is broken, the hospital is likely broken, as care at bedside is the most important point of care that exists,” states Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national malpractice attorney and retired hospital physician.
Dr. Greg Vigna wound care expert and national decubitus ulcer attorney states, “The standard of care for prevention of deep Stage III and Stage IV decubitus ulcers will always be reliable pressure reliefs or assisted repositioning at least every two hours for a dependent patient, with or without an alternating air mattress. Skin assessments should be provided at the time of the repositioning. An unstageable wound simply means there is a full-thickness wound, and the depth of the wound is not yet known.”
What is a “Never Event”? Click here to learn more.
Dr. Vigna adds, “Nurses’ compliance with the repositioning policy and procedures of every hospital is the single most important intervention to prevent serious injuries to dependent patients. My client suffered an ‘unstageable decubitus’ which eventually became Stage IV because the bedside care provided by the nurses at HCA Virginia Health System failed to provide the required quality and frequency of repositioning.” (Case Number: CL23001856-00, Montgomery County, Virginia)
Read about nursing compliance: https://intapi.sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/fon-2021-0002
Greg Vigna, MD, JD, is a national malpractice attorney and birth injury attorney. He is available for legal consultation for families and patients who have suffered decubitus ulcers due to poor nursing care at hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The Vigna Law Group, along with Ben C. Martin, Esq. of the Martin Law Group, a Dallas Texas national pharmaceutical injury law firm, jointly prosecute hospital and nursing home neglect cases that result in bedsores nationwide.
Visit the Decubitus Ulcer Help Desk.
Read Dr. Vigna’s book “The Mother’s Guide to Birth Injury”: https://vignalawgroup.com/mothers-guide-to-birth-injuries/
Case Number: CL23001856-00
Montgomery County, Virginia