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Hidden Dangers: The Truth About PICC Line Infections
Dr. V breaks down the devastating consequences of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, including septic shock with mortality rates reaching 40%, permanent organ dysfunction, amputations, and brain injuries. The episode reveals how hospital-acquired sepsis is twice as deadly as community-acquired infections and can add nearly 14 days to hospital stays.
A key focus is on the preventable nature of many of these infections and the existence of safer materials that manufacturers aren't widely adopting due to cost considerations. Dr. V discusses the most vulnerable populations - including premature infants who may develop cerebral palsy and cancer patients requiring long-term central access.
The episode concludes with legal guidance for those affected by PICC line infections, explaining how Dr. V's firm pursues cases against both device manufacturers and healthcare providers who fail to properly monitor or diagnose complications. For listeners who have suffered septic shock or blood clots from central line infections, Dr. V can be contacted at (817) 809-9023 or vignalawgroup.com.
TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to Justice with Doctor V. I'm a doctor and a lawyer. I have a national litigation practice and represent those who have suffered catastrophic injuries.
We're talking about a hidden danger: PICC lines and other central line bloodstream infections. What is a PICC line? And if you can measure their relationship with infection, what would that look like? PICC lines or any other central line - they're generally made from polyurethane and silicone. We know that this type of device will be associated with a certain percentage of infections, about 1.8 bloodstream infections every 1,000 patient days.
We know that. Okay. And 2 in 1,000 doesn't sound like much. But when you think about it, many of these patients have PICC lines and central lines for 30, 45 days. What are the risks for these patients? We're talking about a known risk that a certain number of people will get infected from. And some of those patients will develop septic shock.
We know that. And of those patients who develop septic shock, we know the mortality is significant - upwards of 40%. We're talking some permanent organ dysfunction. We're talking about amputation. We're talking about brain injuries from septic shock. I feel as if many people have heard about septic shock but don't know the actual description. Could you give us a description?
That means your body is fighting that bacteria in the blood in such a way that there are some bad responses to the massive inflammation that is occurring as the body tries fighting this bacteria. Where can septic shock be acquired? What we are concerned about is hospital acquired infections. And many times these infections that occur in the hospital are preventable.
And what we know about hospital related sepsis is that it's a different type of sepsis compared to what you get in the community. When you get bacteria in the community, they generally are not the super antibiotic resistant organisms that live in hospitals. The mortality is nearly twice as much for hospital related sepsis.
The length of stay adds nearly 14 days if you get a hospital acquired sepsis and septic shock. So hospital related sepsis is extremely important to diagnose and treat quickly. How long does a hospital have to act when an infection from a PICC line happens? Every hour there's a delay in treatment with antibiotics, there's an increase in 8% mortality.
The benchmarks for hospitals to get IV antibiotics on board is generally 1 to 3 hours. After three hours, it's really considered a delay. And it makes a difference. Is this preventable?So we know about this hidden risk from PICC lines that they can get infected because anything could get infected.
These PICC lines are defective because there is safer material now available. It's on the market that reduces the risk of bloodstream infections, and they reduce the risk of blood clots associated with the line. I want to stay on the subject of these new materials. How do they compare to PICC lines and why aren't they being used more?
We're not seeing infections with the new materials that are on the market. So why are these old PICC lines still on the market? It's because they're cheaper and these are cash cow devices where companies have been making millions of dollars on these devices for years, and they simply aren't bringing the safer materials to the market.
They're not describing the benefits and the risks of their type of device compared to the new material. And doctors don't know and patients don't know and their families don't know. Speaking of patients, who is affected by these bloodstream infections? We know that kids who are born premature - if they get a bloodstream infection, septic shock - that's associated with cerebral palsy.
Okay, so we're seeing serious injuries from preventable illnesses that are occurring in newborns. Patients who have cancer, they have to have central lines and PICC lines, and they're the most vulnerable. And they're at the highest risk. And shouldn't they have a safer device?
Who does your law firm represent in these cases? Who do we represent with PICC line injuries? Those are people who develop septic shock from hospital acquired or outpatient acquired bloodstream infections caused by an infected PICC line. Those people that we represent would have ongoing and permanent disability related to that septic shock.
Who is usually at fault for these infections? And how do you fight back? So we do our own discovery. This discovery is generally confidential. But when cases go to trial and people get to see these documents, they are not confidential anymore. And when pharmaceutical companies do bad things, they need to be called out on it. And we do that kind of work on some very tough cases.
We are suing the manufacturers and we are also suing the people who are putting in these devices and monitoring these devices and failing to diagnose complications when they occur.
What would you tell to the people that are listening who have been affected by these bloodstream infections, specifically from PICC lines? If you've suffered a central line infection, developing septic shock, or a blood clot that went to the lungs associated with one of these lines, call me: (817) 809-9023. And we'll be talking shortly.
View all episodes
By Greg VignaDr. V breaks down the devastating consequences of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, including septic shock with mortality rates reaching 40%, permanent organ dysfunction, amputations, and brain injuries. The episode reveals how hospital-acquired sepsis is twice as deadly as community-acquired infections and can add nearly 14 days to hospital stays.
A key focus is on the preventable nature of many of these infections and the existence of safer materials that manufacturers aren't widely adopting due to cost considerations. Dr. V discusses the most vulnerable populations - including premature infants who may develop cerebral palsy and cancer patients requiring long-term central access.
The episode concludes with legal guidance for those affected by PICC line infections, explaining how Dr. V's firm pursues cases against both device manufacturers and healthcare providers who fail to properly monitor or diagnose complications. For listeners who have suffered septic shock or blood clots from central line infections, Dr. V can be contacted at (817) 809-9023 or vignalawgroup.com.
TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to Justice with Doctor V. I'm a doctor and a lawyer. I have a national litigation practice and represent those who have suffered catastrophic injuries.
We're talking about a hidden danger: PICC lines and other central line bloodstream infections. What is a PICC line? And if you can measure their relationship with infection, what would that look like? PICC lines or any other central line - they're generally made from polyurethane and silicone. We know that this type of device will be associated with a certain percentage of infections, about 1.8 bloodstream infections every 1,000 patient days.
We know that. Okay. And 2 in 1,000 doesn't sound like much. But when you think about it, many of these patients have PICC lines and central lines for 30, 45 days. What are the risks for these patients? We're talking about a known risk that a certain number of people will get infected from. And some of those patients will develop septic shock.
We know that. And of those patients who develop septic shock, we know the mortality is significant - upwards of 40%. We're talking some permanent organ dysfunction. We're talking about amputation. We're talking about brain injuries from septic shock. I feel as if many people have heard about septic shock but don't know the actual description. Could you give us a description?
That means your body is fighting that bacteria in the blood in such a way that there are some bad responses to the massive inflammation that is occurring as the body tries fighting this bacteria. Where can septic shock be acquired? What we are concerned about is hospital acquired infections. And many times these infections that occur in the hospital are preventable.
And what we know about hospital related sepsis is that it's a different type of sepsis compared to what you get in the community. When you get bacteria in the community, they generally are not the super antibiotic resistant organisms that live in hospitals. The mortality is nearly twice as much for hospital related sepsis.
The length of stay adds nearly 14 days if you get a hospital acquired sepsis and septic shock. So hospital related sepsis is extremely important to diagnose and treat quickly. How long does a hospital have to act when an infection from a PICC line happens? Every hour there's a delay in treatment with antibiotics, there's an increase in 8% mortality.
The benchmarks for hospitals to get IV antibiotics on board is generally 1 to 3 hours. After three hours, it's really considered a delay. And it makes a difference. Is this preventable?So we know about this hidden risk from PICC lines that they can get infected because anything could get infected.
These PICC lines are defective because there is safer material now available. It's on the market that reduces the risk of bloodstream infections, and they reduce the risk of blood clots associated with the line. I want to stay on the subject of these new materials. How do they compare to PICC lines and why aren't they being used more?
We're not seeing infections with the new materials that are on the market. So why are these old PICC lines still on the market? It's because they're cheaper and these are cash cow devices where companies have been making millions of dollars on these devices for years, and they simply aren't bringing the safer materials to the market.
They're not describing the benefits and the risks of their type of device compared to the new material. And doctors don't know and patients don't know and their families don't know. Speaking of patients, who is affected by these bloodstream infections? We know that kids who are born premature - if they get a bloodstream infection, septic shock - that's associated with cerebral palsy.
Okay, so we're seeing serious injuries from preventable illnesses that are occurring in newborns. Patients who have cancer, they have to have central lines and PICC lines, and they're the most vulnerable. And they're at the highest risk. And shouldn't they have a safer device?
Who does your law firm represent in these cases? Who do we represent with PICC line injuries? Those are people who develop septic shock from hospital acquired or outpatient acquired bloodstream infections caused by an infected PICC line. Those people that we represent would have ongoing and permanent disability related to that septic shock.
Who is usually at fault for these infections? And how do you fight back? So we do our own discovery. This discovery is generally confidential. But when cases go to trial and people get to see these documents, they are not confidential anymore. And when pharmaceutical companies do bad things, they need to be called out on it. And we do that kind of work on some very tough cases.
We are suing the manufacturers and we are also suing the people who are putting in these devices and monitoring these devices and failing to diagnose complications when they occur.
What would you tell to the people that are listening who have been affected by these bloodstream infections, specifically from PICC lines? If you've suffered a central line infection, developing septic shock, or a blood clot that went to the lungs associated with one of these lines, call me: (817) 809-9023. And we'll be talking shortly.