Illinois Passes Gabby’s Law Regarding Sepsis

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Medical Malpractice

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has signed a new law which will require hospitals to take a more proactive approach to recognizing and treating patients who develop sepsis. When a person comes down with an infection, the body can sometimes have a “toxic response” to that infection. Such a response is known as sepsis.

Senate Bill 2403, also known as Gabby’s Law, reads in part:

“Each hospital shall adopt evidence-based protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock that are based on generally accepted standards of care. It requires the protocols contain certain components, including those specific to identifying and treating adults and children.”

The Need for Action

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.5 million people develop sepsis. It is responsible for the deaths of almost 260,000 people every year in this country. It has been ranked as the ninth-leading cause of deaths caused by disease, killing more people than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined.

Tragically, it was the death of one five-year-old little girl which prompted lawmakers to pass this law. On May 1, 2012, Gabby Galbo’s parents brought her to the pediatrician with a high fever. Ten days later, with multiple trips back to hospital – and with the child’s fever spiking sometimes as high as 106 degrees – Gabby died. Just five days earlier, the hospital had sent her home in spite of blood work performed which revealed that she had “significant signs of an infection.” Her parents were told that the blood work was “unremarkable.”

It was later determined that the little girl had died from sepsis in response to undiagnosed Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever caused by a tick bite.

Although mourning the loss of their own child, her parents vowed to fight to make sure that no other parents would ever have to suffer the loss they have and continue to suffer through. They approached Senator Chapin Rose, who introduced the bill which subsequently passed both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously. Only one other state besides Illinois – New York – has a law in place regarding sepsis protocol for hospitals. The new law becomes effective immediately.

Seek Legal Help

If you have lost a loved one because of the negligence of a physician and/or medical facility, contact an experienced Orland Park medical malpractice attorney to find out what legal recourse your family may have for the pain and loss you have suffered. Call 708-966-2408 for your free initial consultation.

Sources:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=099-0828

https://rorystauntonfoundationforsepsis.org/5729/gabby-galbo/

http://jg-tc.com/news/rauner-signs-gabby-s-law/article_ac37fcbb-88e1-534b-bd24-a8fb54cc6176.html