Older adults in nursing homes face a significantly higher risk of serious infections and life-threatening sepsis. Age-related immune decline, chronic medical conditions, pressure injuries, and close-contact living environments all increase exposure and vulnerability. When staff fail to recognize early warning signs, a treatable infection can rapidly become fatal.
Nursing facilities are legally required to monitor residents, respond to medical changes, and escalate care when symptoms appear. When staff ignore or miss sepsis symptoms, it may support a nursing home negligence claim, a nursing home wrongful death case, or a broader medical malpractice lawsuit. Families often speak with a Phoenix nursing home abuse attorney when delayed treatment leads to catastrophic harm.
Contact Knapp & Roberts
Common Signs of Sepsis Nursing Homes Often Miss
What Is Sepsis, And What Are Its Dangers?
Sepsis was once known as “blood poisoning,” due to the mistaken belief that the condition was caused by an infection spreading to the blood. Today’s medical research shows that sepsis results from the body’s overreactive immune response to an infection.
During bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, the body releases cytokines that trigger inflammatory responses to kill pathogens within host cells. In some cases, the immune system overreacts with a cytokine storm, generating massive systemic inflammation or sepsis. As sepsis escalates, the intracellular inflammation causes tissue death and organ failure in critical organs such as the lungs, kidneys, heart, and brain.
Organ failure from sepsis is the final stage of sepsis. When residents miss the earlier symptoms of sepsis, and it leads to organ failure and death, the nursing home can be held liable for a surviving sepsis victim’s medical expenses, pain, and suffering, or a deceased resident’s wrongful death. Wrongful death compensation is paid to the closest surviving family member in a nursing home sepsis wrongful death claim.
What Are the Signs of Sepsis?
The Nursing Home Abuse Center warns that once in the severe stage, sepsis has a death rate of 50%. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment increase the chances of survival for sepsis victims. Tragically, neglect in nursing homes not only leads to increased infection spread but also commonly results in missed signs of sepsis during its earlier, more curable stage. When caregivers are skilled, alert, and well-trained, they can quickly identify the earliest warning signs of sepsis, such as the following:
- Fever
- Chills, sweating, and shivering
- Accelerated heartrate
- Decreased urine output
- Mental confusion or disorientation
- Difficulty breathing or hyperventilation
- A decrease in blood pressure
- Mottled, patchy, or discolored skin
As sepsis worsens into later stages, the following symptoms of septic shock appear:
- Inability to stand or walk
- Extreme confusion
- Sleepiness or inability to remain awake
Because the signs of sepsis may be similar to other conditions, a skilled nursing home caregiver must carefully consider factors such as the presence of two or more of the above symptoms and whether the resident was recently diagnosed with an illness or infection that could lead to sepsis.
Why Do Arizona Nursing Home Caregivers Miss the Signs of Sepsis?
Nursing homes in Arizona and elsewhere have high staff turnover rates, often leading to staffing shortages, negligent hiring practices, inexperienced caregivers, unrealistic resident-to-staff ratios, and increased instances of neglect. Untreated bedsores, poor documentation and communication between caregivers, and a lack of caregiver hand hygiene between residents all increase the chances of sepsis in nursing homes. Understaffing makes it more common for caregivers to overlook the signs of sepsis, resulting in a resident’s worsened medical condition or death.