MRSA (sometimes referred to as the superbug) stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (SA) and more and more people in the UK are chosing Pinto Potts Solicitors to make a claim for MRSA Infection Compensation against their hospital. If you want to enquire about making a claim, feel free to fill out the short MRSA Claim form on the right, and we will get right back to you.

MRSA was discovered in 1961 in the UK. It is now found worldwide. MRSA is often referred to in the press as a "superbug". Treatment of MRSA depends on whether you are infected with the bacteria, or only colonised.

How Much Can I Claim? What Can I Claim For?

MRSA Compensation for damages for discomfort, pain and loss of amenity will vary depending on the severity of symptoms / condition and the period of time for which they have or are likely to last. The greater the level of pain and discomfort and the longer the symptoms persist, the higher the compensation claim you can make.

In addition to general damages, you may also claim for all heads of Special Damages, to include past and future loss of earnings; overtime; bonus pay; gratuitous care provided by family / friends ; travel expenses; payments for painkillers; private medical treatment; pension loss; etc

Strict time limits may apply within which you may make a claim and generally, any delay increases difficulties.

HOW TO CLAIM FOR MRSA INFECTION:

If you believe there is a possible MRSA compensation claim either for yourself or a family member or friend, then just complete the form on your right and our friendly and specialist UK claim team will be able to advise you on whether or not you have a genuine No Win No Fee claim for compensation.

Hosptital Treatment

If you have an MRSA infection, you will be given antibiotics that are still effective (that the bacteria have not yet become resistant to). Most MRSA infections can be treated with the antibiotics vancomycin, or linezolid, which are normally given through injection or intravenously (through a tube straight into your vein). Most MRSA infections will require treatment in hospital and antibiotic treatment may need to continue for several weeks.

If you are colonised with MRSA bacteria, you may be treated, particularly if you need to be go into hospital for a procedure such as an operation. If you have a local, or serious, MRSA infection, you may need to continue having treatment when you go home.

About 1 in 3 of us carries SA on the surface of our skin, or in our nose, without developing an infection. This is known as being colonised by the bacteria. However, if SA bacteria get into the body through a break in the skin they can cause infections such as boils, abscesses, or impetigo. If they get into the bloodstream they can cause more serious infections.

Most SA infections can be treated with antibiotics such as methicillin (a type of penicillin). However, SA is becoming increasingly resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. MRSA bacteria are those types of SA bacteria that are resistant to methicillin (and usually to some of the other antibiotics that are normally used to treat SA infections).

MRSA is no more infectious than other types of SA bacteria. However, MRSA infections are more difficult to treat due to the antibiotic-resistance of the bacteria. Antibiotics can still be used to treat MRSA - the infection may simply require a much higher dose over a much longer period, or the use of an antibiotic to which the bacteria is not resistant.

MRSA infections are diagnosed by testing blood, urine or a sample of tissue from the infected area for the presence of MRSA bacteria. If MRSA bacteria are found, further tests will be done to see which antibiotics the bacteria do not have resistance to, and so which can be used to treat them.

Many hospitals now test everyone who is being admitted to see if they are colonised with MRSA. Swabs from the skin and nose, urine and blood samples may be tested for the bacteria. It can take 3-5 days for the results to come back.

If you are colonised with MRSA you will still be admitted, but doctors may give you treatment to reduce or remove the MRSA bacteria.

We have helped hundreds of people make successful No Win, No Fee claims enabling them to rebuild their lives following MRSA diagnosis. We provide our clients with access to our network of leading medical experts to ensure they receive the best treatment and injury rehabilitation available.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacteria are common, and about one in three people are colonised by the bacteria. Most of those who are colonised with SA do not develop an infection and so do not have any symptoms.

However, if SA bacteria are able to enter the body they can cause infection. The symptoms will depend on the type of infection they cause.

Most SA infections are skin infections, including:

1. boils (pus-filled infections of hair follicles),
2. abscesses (collections of pus in pockets under the skin),
3. styes (infection of glands in the eyelid),
4. carbuncles (infections larger than an abscess, usually with several openings to the skin),
5. cellulitis (infection of the skin and the fat and tissues that lie immediately beneath it), and
6. impetigo (a skin infection that produces pus-filled blisters).

You should keep an eye on minor skin problems like spots, cuts or burns. If you have a wound that becomes infected you should see your doctor.

Although most SA infections are skin infections, if SA bacteria are able to enter the bloodstream (bacteraemia) they can affect almost any part of the body. They can cause:

• septicaemia (blood poisoning),
• septic shock (widespread infection of the blood that leads to a fall in blood pressure and organ failure),
• severe joint problems (septic arthritis),
• bone marrow infection (osteomyelitis),
• internal abscesses anywhere within the body,
• inflammation of the tissues that surround the brain and spinal cord (meningitis),
• lung infection (pneumonia), and
• infection of the heart lining (endocarditis).

SA bacteria can also cause scalded skin syndrome and, very occasionally, toxic shock syndrome.

Claim Compensation

We help thousands of injured people throughout the UK make MRSA claims every year. Our service is 100% No Win, No Fee - risk and cost free, there are no catches, no fees, no deductions and no middlemen, win or lose you will not be asked to pay a penny.

When bacteria encounter an antibiotic, such as methicillin, some of the bacteria may survive. Bacteria are able to mutate (change), so those bacteria that survive may develop a resistance to the antibiotic. The surviving antibiotic-resistant bacteria can then multiply, ready to infect someone new. In this way, some types of staphylococcal aureus bacteria have become resistant to many antibiotics, forming MRSA.

The number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased in recent years due to:

* people not finishing the full course of antibiotics they have been prescribed, which allows some bacteria to survive, develop a resistance to the antibiotic, and then multiply, and
* antibiotics being overused, which has allowed bacteria to develop resistance to a wide range of antibiotics.

MRSA bacteria is usually spread through person-to-person contact with someone who has an MRSA infection, or who is colonised by the bacteria. It can also spread through contact with towels, sheets, clothes, dressings or other objects that have been used by someone with MRSA. MRSA can also survive on objects or surfaces such as door handles, sinks, floors and cleaning equipment.

MRSA will not normally cause an infection in a healthy person. Although it is possible for those outside hospital to become infected, MRSA infections are most common in people who are already in hospital. Those in hospital are more likely to develop MRSA infections because they often have an entry point for the bacteria to get into their body, such as a surgical wound, a catheter, or an intravenous tube.

Those who are most at risk of MRSA include those who have:

• a weakened immune system, such as the elderly, newborn babies, or those with a long-term health condition such as diabetes, cancer or HIV/AIDS,
• an open wound,
• a catheter (a plastic tube inserted into the body to drain fluid) or an intravenous drip,
• a burn or cut on their skin,
• a severe skin condition such as leg ulcer or psoriasis,
• recently had surgery, or
• have to take frequent courses of antibiotics.

Although MRSA infections usually develop in those being treated in hospital, particularly patients in intensive care units and on surgical wards, it is possible for hospital staff or visitors to become infected if they are in one of these higher risk groups.

Claim Compensation

We help thousands of injured people throughout the UK make MRSA claims every year. Our service is 100% No Win, No Fee - risk and cost free, there are no catches, no fees, no deductions and no middlemen, win or lose you will not be asked to pay a penny.

Please Note

Please note Pinto Potts Solicitors supply this information as is with no warranty of accuracy. It is not a replacement for those seeing mediacal advice about MRSA. Please contact your doctor / hospital immediately if you are concerned about MRSA.