Rare and antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections related to tainted eyedrops have caught even the most experienced doctors off-guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 72-year-old woman who didn\u2019t wear contacts showed signs of an eye infection, including unusual discharge and an unusual<\/a> appearance. Her first treating physician prescribed antibiotics, which didn\u2019t work. She then consulted infectious disease specialist Dr. Morgan Morelli, who admitted that \u201cWe were racking our heads trying to figure out how this happened.\u201d It took several months to confirm that the woman\u2019s infection had come from a contaminated bottle of EzriCare artificial tears, a product linked to dozens of similar eye infections nationwide. \u201cShe probably scratched the left eye with the eyedropper accidentally and didn’t realize it because she had no feeling,\u201d Morelli hypothesized. \u201cThat allowed the infection to enter the eye much more easily and quickly in that eye before it ever affected the right one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recalled EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment have seriously injured people in eight states<\/a>. Four of these victims died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bacteria in Eyedrops<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Typically, bacterial infections are not very serious. Pseudomonas aeruginosa<\/a> infections, however, are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s why: First, these infections are rare outside clinical settings and are often difficult to spot. Second, infected patients deteriorate very quickly and often develop sepsis (flesh-eating). Third, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is immune to most antibiotics. Only strong, intravenous antibiotics control these infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Powerful antibiotics often have side-effects. Common side effects of antibiotics can include rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and yeast infections. More serious side effects include Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) infections, which cause severe diarrhea that badly damages the colon. These infections are usually life-threatening. Anaphylactic (severe allergic reactions) are often life threatening as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Antibiotic overuse is a problem as well. These drugs don\u2019t effectively combat all bacterial infections, such as most cases of bronchitis, many sinus infections, and some ear infections. If doctors prescribe antibiotics in these situations, which they often do, the patient can become immune<\/a> to these drugs. So, when the next infection comes along, doctors must use stronger drugs that have a higher likelihood of strong side-effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Medical Misdiagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unpredictable illnesses, like bacterial infections, are hard to diagnose. This difficulty doesn\u2019t excuse medical negligence, however. Other difficult-to-diagnose conditions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A common denominator, lack of reliable information, usually applies in these diverse misdiagnosed conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making matters worse, if doctors order tests, many over-delegate test interpretation to nurses, patient care technicians, and other less qualified professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When doctors make such medical mistakes, our medical malpractice lawyers<\/a> can hold them responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Medical Duty of Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If non-professionals, like vehicle drivers, make mistakes, these mistakes aren\u2019t always negligence, or a lack of care. There\u2019s a difference between watching a video on a phone and swiping away a call, even though both acts constitute device distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the duty of care is much higher in doctor and other professional negligence cases. These individuals have a fiduciary duty. Therefore, almost any misdiagnosis or other medical error is negligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because doctors have such a high duty of care, and because patients put their trust entirely in their doctors, an experienced medical malpractice attorney<\/a> is often able to obtain substantial damages in these cases. These damages often include additional punitive damages. Jurors award these damages if there\u2019s clear and convincing evidence that the doctor intentionally disregarded a known risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n