Legionnaire’s Disease Outbreak at Des Moines Hospital Results in Illness, Death
By injuheis on May 20, 2010
One patient died recently and another became sickened as a result of an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Tests done in the hospital found bacteria in a few spots in the hospital’s water system. Based on a desmoinesregister.com report, the hospital installed special filters and flushed the system. Doctors are unsure whether the patients contracted the illness in the hospital or elsewhere.
Legionnaire’s disease is a form of pneumonia caused by inhalation of a particular type of bacteria. Legionnaire’s disease can be treated with antibiotics but it is deadly to those with weakened immune systems or breathing problems. Both of the patients who contracted the disease had weakened immune systems.
The hospital did not find any of the bacteria in the room of the patient who died, but bacteria was found in the room of the patient who became ill. State experts are currently attempting to discover the source of the outbreak and to contain it. Starting in 2004, the hospital had 7 cases of Legionnaire’s disease and two deaths among patients from the disease. The family of a former patient of the hospital who died of the disease sued the hospital. It paid her family $500,000 in a settlement.
If you or a family member has contracted Legionnaire’s disease in Maryland as a result of someone else’s negligence, you need to contact an attorney with the legal skill and knowledge to handle cases dealing specifically with Legionnaire’s disease. Contact Steven H. Heisler, “The Injury Lawyer,” for legal counsel and representation for your Maryland Legionnaire’s disease case. As a Maryland Legionnaire’s disease lawyer and personal injury attorney, Mr. Heisler has extensive experience with litigation involving Legionnaire’s disease and several other types of injury claims. Call 877-228-4878 today for your free consultation.
