Diabetic Patients in Nursing Homes Are Ground Zero For Fournier's Gangrene

Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News

The majority of nursing home medical staff have never even heard of Fournier's gangrene let alone keep watch on their patients for the disease

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - Getting proper diabetes care for senior citizens while under the supervision of a nursing home is a huge concern and nursing homes are being overrun. The aging baby boomer population is causing an increasing demand for nursing home services whose employees must be aware of the individual medical needs of their clients. Twelve million or so seniors over the age of 65 in the United States, many of whom are living in nursing homes have diabetes that is in one stage or another. Diabetic patients taking SGLT2 diabetic blocker drugs such as Invokana and other brands are at risk for contracting Fournier's Gangrene, a flesh-eating disease that affects the genital area, requiring surgical mutilation or amputation. Flesh eating genital infection lawsuits represented by top national attorneys helping families and individuals harmed from diabetes drugs and offer a free consultation.

Diabetes is the most common disease to affect senior citizens due to being overweight or eating a poor diet. The Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately one in four seniors will develop diabetes in the latter stages of life. Nursing home attendants and medical staff need to be trained to make sure that their patients take the right medications in the right dosages and at the right time and also to watch for the early signs of Fournier's Gangrene. Keeping tabs on patient's medications can be a full-time job as hundreds of patients each taking 3, 4, or 5 different drugs for different diseases can be almost impossible to keep track of. In addition, each nursing home patient may require periodic check-ups, doctor or hospital visits and their medications are constantly changing. Each nursing home patient that is ill probably has different dietary needs and eating a poor diet could cause an allergic reaction or a reaction to the medications they are taking. It is easy to see where a nursing home facility can be overwhelmed and fail to be able to monitor their diabetic patient to make sure that they are getting the medical attention they are paying for.

Yet another layer of complication is added when nursing home administrators are less than forthcoming when asked about patient medical care records for fear of being sued and put out of business. Most nursing homes tend to ignore a problem with a patient's medical care than to bring their potential negligence to the light of day. This lack of transparency can cause the early detection of diabetes-related Fournier's gangrene to be overlooked.

The CDC has uncovered around 55 cases of Fournier's Gangrene or flesh-eating disease of the genitals, in patients over the last decade in the United States. Most of the cases are elderly diabetic patients taking SGLT2 diabetic blocker drugs such as Invokana or other brands. This figure of 55 may be on the low side as Fournier's gangrene can be mistaken for common necrotizing fasciitis or flesh-eating disease.

Up until recently, no one thought to make a connection between an ordinary diabetic patient and one with Fournier's gangrene. Diabetes has always been associated with gangrene of the toes, feet, and legs that require amputation. Now it has been determined that it is not just the disease of diabetes that can cause gangrene but moreover the tissue death, particularly in the genital area is caused by the diabetes medication patients are taking.

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Lawyers for Fournier's Gangrene

OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.