Did you develop a serious infection during a hospital stay in Atlanta?
At Moriarty Medical Malpractice Lawyers, we are plaintiff-focused hospital-acquired infection lawyers preparing every case with experience and dedication.
If you developed a serious infection during or after a hospital stay in Atlanta, our Atlanta, GA hospital-acquired infection lawyer can obtain the hospital’s infection-control and nursing records, determine whether the infection was preventable, and pursue compensation from the hospital and the providers responsible. We work with physicians in infectious disease and other relevant specialties to evaluate how the infection began and how it was treated.
Moriarty Medical Malpractice Lawyers has obtained verdicts and settlements totaling more than $200 million for clients. Contact us for a free, confidential review of your hospital stay.
Hospital-Acquired Infection Lawyer Atlanta, GA
A hospital-acquired infection is one a patient did not have on admission that develops during hospital care. Common examples include bloodstream infections from central lines, urinary tract infections from catheters, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and C. difficile. A hospital-acquired infection attorney represents patients and families when the infection resulted from lapses in hand hygiene, sterile technique, device care, or timely treatment.
CDC’s Emerging Infections Program, which includes an eight-county Atlanta surveillance area, recorded 7,155 healthcare-associated C. difficile cases across its 10 sites in 2024, a rate of 57.0 per 100,000 people. Hospitals use standard prevention practices because many of these infections can be avoided.
Types of Hospital-Acquired Infection Cases We Handle in Atlanta
An infection acquired in the hospital can follow almost any procedure or device. We pursue claims involving:
- Central line bloodstream infections: A catheter placed in a large vein must be inserted under sterile conditions and checked daily for whether it is still needed. We review insertion checklists, dressing-change records, and the dates the line remained in place.
- Hospital negligence: Some infections reflect failures across a unit, including poor hand hygiene, inadequate room cleaning, or patients with resistant organisms placed without isolation. Infection-prevention logs and outbreak investigations can show a pattern beyond one patient.
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections: A urinary catheter left in longer than medically necessary raises the risk of infection that can spread to the kidneys or bloodstream. Nursing notes and physician orders show whether anyone reassessed the catheter.
- Surgical site infections: Infections after an operation can stem from sterile technique, antibiotic timing before surgery, or wound care afterward. We compare the operative record and post-operative wound assessments against accepted protocols.
- Failure to diagnose: Fever, a rising heart rate, and abnormal lab values can signal an infection progressing toward sepsis. When those signs go unrecognized, treatment that could have stopped the infection is delayed.
- Ventilator-associated pneumonia: Patients on breathing machines need head-of-bed elevation, oral care, and daily assessment of whether the ventilator is still required. Missed steps in that care can lead to pneumonia in already critically ill patients.
- Birth injury: Newborns can acquire serious infections when maternal screening results are not acted on or when infection-control practices lapse in the nursery or neonatal unit.
- C. difficile infection: This intestinal infection often follows antibiotic use and spreads on hands and surfaces. Antibiotic orders, isolation records, and cleaning logs help determine whether it was preventable.
- Pharmacy malpractice: The wrong antibiotic, an incorrect dose, or a missed allergy can leave an infection undertreated or cause a dangerous reaction.
Why Choose Moriarty Medical Malpractice Lawyers as My Hospital-Acquired Infection Lawyer in Atlanta, GA?
Infection Claims Built on Hospital Records
Daniel J. Moriarty began his career defending hospitals and health care providers before he started representing patients in 2018. He has handled appeals before the Georgia Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. His education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from the University of Texas. Tracing an infection through cultures, device records, and infection-prevention logs is work that calls for a medical malpractice lawyer in Atlanta, GA.
Recoveries for Patients and Families in Georgia
Results since 2019 exceed $200 million in total, and two of our verdicts rank among the ten largest malpractice verdicts in Georgia history. Hospital-acquired infection cases are handled on contingency, and clients owe attorney fees only when compensation is recovered. Medical malpractice results include:
- A $20 million settlement
- A $16.8 million recovery
- A $15.5 million jury verdict
- A $5.5 million recovery
These results reflect the facts of individual cases and do not promise the outcome of any future matter.
What Is Important to Understand About a Hospital-Acquired Infection Case?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Hospital-Acquired Infection Cases
The hospital is responsible for its employed staff and for its infection-prevention systems. Physicians who ordered, placed, or monitored devices, or who delayed treatment, may share responsibility. A claim must show that the care fell below the accepted standard and that the failure caused the infection or worsened its effects. Compensation may include:
- Medical costs: Extended hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics, surgery to remove infected tissue, and future care
- Income losses: Time away from work and any reduced ability to earn
- Noneconomic damages: Pain, emotional distress, and the effect on daily life
- Wrongful death: The value of the life of a family member who died from the infection, as measured under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2
O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 allows a jury to reduce an award by the percentage of fault it assigns to the patient. A patient assigned half or more of the fault receives nothing.
What Are Important Aspects of a Hospital-Acquired Infection Case?
Hospitals often argue that an infection was present before admission or could not have been prevented. These points usually decide that question:
- Timing and source: Admission assessments and culture results show whether the infection was present on arrival or developed later, and which organism caused it.
- Prevention practices: AHRQ notes that relatively straightforward approaches prevent many common infections. Compliance records show whether the hospital followed them.
- Progression to sepsis: An infection that spreads to the bloodstream can cause sepsis, and delay in recognizing an infection after surgery is a frequent issue in these claims.
- Reporting: Georgia’s infection prevention program works with hospitals that report infection data through federal surveillance systems.
- National benchmarks: Central line infections fell 9 percent nationally in 2024, so a hospital’s own rates can be measured against a declining standard.
What Is the Hospital-Acquired Infection Case Timeline?
Each case moves at its own pace, but the stages are generally consistent:
- Initial review: We obtain the chart, culture results, and device records.
- Specialist evaluation: Physicians review whether the infection was preventable and whether it was treated in time.
- Filing: Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71, a malpractice action must generally be brought within two years of the injury or death. Georgia also sets a five-year ceiling measured from the negligent act itself.
- Discovery: Many Atlanta claims proceed in the Fulton County State Court, whose civil division hears medical malpractice cases.
- Resolution: Settlement talks and mediation resolve most infection claims, although each is built to go before a jury if needed.
What Should You Bring to Your Hospital-Acquired Infection Consultation?
Whatever records you already have will help us start. Useful items include:
- Admission and discharge dates and discharge paperwork
- Any lab or culture results you received
- Billing statements from the hospital and any later providers
- A list of procedures, lines, or catheters you remember
At the meeting, we will go through your hospital course with you, tell you whether the facts support a claim, and identify the records still needed.
Reach Out to Moriarty Medical Malpractice Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
An infection that began in the hospital should be traced to its source. There is no charge to speak with Moriarty Medical Malpractice Lawyers, and our fee comes only from a recovery. Our Atlanta hospital-acquired infection lawyer will review your hospital stay, the course of the infection, and your options. Inquiries receive a prompt response from our office. Contact us to tell us about your hospital stay.