26-05-2025
Novel hip dysplasia surgery risks not properly explained, say parents
Some parents whose children had a novel hip surgery at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) were not offered conventional treatment or told of risks from double-hip surgeries, a solicitor has warned.
Several families have now taken legal advice as they are unsure what will happen next.
This follows a shocking audit, published on Friday, which showed 79% of hip dysplasia surgeries at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh, and 60% in CHI at Temple St did not meet required criteria.
A six-month process of review has begun for more than 2,200 children.
Ciaran Tansey, a partner with Damien Tansey Solicitors LLP, said parents are worried about how long this might take in reality.
'In terms of the families we represent, it doesn't appear that proper and appropriate prevention of risks were gone through with the families as to the options that were open to them,' Mr Tansey said.
This includes options, he said, on 'unilateral or bilateral surgery, or a novel technique, or a more conservative technique'.
Parents said they were not told what the novel treatment involved versus what the traditional treatment involved. Some are also concerned their child may have had two hips operated upon when only one was needed.
Unilateral hip surgery is for one hip, and bilateral means both hips are operated upon.
The audit report said: 'Some surgeons' samples indicated a very high rate of bilateral, rather than unilateral, pelvic osteotomies.'
International data shows one third of surgeries for hip dysplasia will be on both hips, the audit states.
'High rates'
However, these two hospitals had 'high rates' of bilateral operations above this predicted rate.
The audit does not directly address informed consent, but it does say a 'proper process of consent' should be given in future. It gives specific examples of what parents should be told.
Mr Tansey said: 'It's almost like Groundhog Day again. We're again looking at orthopaedic services being provided for kids in the main children's hospitals in Ireland.
It might be that a lot of the public are lumping these crises together, assuming it's the same crisis
'In reality, it's a parallel crisis in the same hospitals.'
Mr Tansey also continues to represent the family of Dollceanna Carter, 10, who was a Temple St hospital patient.
The little girl had spina bifida and scoliosis. She died in September 2022, and her death was the subject of a coroner's review and a serious incident investigation by CHI.
While CHI's former CEO Eilish Hardiman had pledged this review would be complete by October 2023, it has not yet been published.
On Sunday evening, families worried about the hip surgeries met in a Zoom meeting with the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group (SPHPAG) and the Scoliosis Advocacy Network.
Amanda Coughlan Santry, the co-founder of the advocacy group, said many children with these conditions have had this surgery, but the crisis affects a wider group of children also.
'Parents are terrified now, they don't know what to do or where to go to get information,' she warned.
This comes as the Sunday Times reported a consultant working in CHI breached HSE guidelines by referring his own public patients to private clinics he was funded to run at weekends.
It was reported that an internal inquiry dating back to 2021 discovered this doctor was paid €38,000 by the State's National Treatment Purchase Fund to do this extra work.
It was also reported that this may have delayed care for very young and vulnerable children.
The story does not name the speciality of care involved at the CHI hospital concerned.
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