It’s common to consider a urinary tract infection (UTI) as painful and inconvenient, but few people anticipate that a UTI can become deadly. Does a urinary tract infection ever cause death?
According to a medical research study of 354 patients diagnosed with UTI-related sepsis or Urosepsis, 10 patients (2.8%) died as a result of multi-system organ failure.
When a preventable medical mistake allows a UTI to progress into deadly sepsis, families may explore their legal options with the help of a Phoenix medical malpractice lawyer or Arizona nursing home negligence attorney.
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Can a Urinary Tract Infection Lead to Death?
How Does a UTI Lead to Death?
Like all infections, a urinary tract infection can be deadly when not promptly diagnosed and effectively treated.
Fatalities from urinary tract infections are most common in the elderly, especially in nursing homes, but may also happen to individuals of any age, particularly if they are hospitalized or in long-term care facilities. In medical settings, UTIs are more common due to patient incontinence and the long-term use of catheters.
While most urinary tract infections are treated effectively with antibiotics, a UTI can lead to death when it’s not promptly identified and treated, but instead triggers deadly sepsis.
What Is Sepsis From a Urinary Tract Infection?
In the past, sepsis was known as blood poisoning. Medical professionals believed that sepsis was the result of an infection spreading into the blood. Now, however, medical researchers understand that the deadly effects of sepsis are not from the infection itself, but from the body’s over-excessive reaction to the infection.
Sepsis occurs when the body’s natural inflammatory response, triggered by the release of cytokines to fight infection, goes too far, leading to a cytokine storm and widespread inflammation throughout the body’s cells. If not effectively treated in the early stage, sepsis causes cell damage, widespread cell death, and organ failure, often affecting the kidneys, lungs, heart, and brain. Multi-system organ failure from UTI-related sepsis causes death.
Signs of Sepsis From a Urinary Tract Infection
Recognizing the signs of deadly sepsis from a urinary tract infection and providing emergency medical treatment is the best way to reduce the risk of death. It’s especially crucial to look for signs in those who are physically or cognitively unable to report pain or discomfort. Common signs of a urinary tract infection that may lead to death from sepsis include the following:
- Fever, chills, and shivering
- A change in mental status, such as confusion, memory loss, disorientation, and slurred speech
- Clamminess or sweating
- Extreme fatigue
- Reduced urine output
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rapid breathing
- A sudden drop in blood pressure
When a person with a diagnosed UTI exhibits the above signs of rapid decline, it’s a medical emergency.
In some cases, a UTI remains undiagnosed until after the patient, nursing home resident, or other individual develops sepsis from the UTI.
When Is a UTI-Sepsis Death Medical Malpractice?
Medical professionals and nursing home caregivers have a legal duty of care to patients and residents. A crucial aspect of this duty is promptly recognizing and treating urinary tract infections. The elderly are more likely to develop sepsis from infections than younger, healthier individuals, especially when living in close quarters with shared caregivers who may spread infections, such as those in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and hospitals.
When a medical provider fails to uphold their duty of care to treat the patient or resident at the standard of care accepted as appropriate by the medical community, it’s medical malpractice. This type of malpractice occurs when a medical provider or caregiver fails to recognize and diagnose a urinary tract infection and/or deadly sepsis, or fails to promptly and effectively treat the infection to prevent sepsis.