Latest news with #hipsurgery
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry to miss 5-6 months after hip surgery
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry is expected to miss five to six months after having hip surgery, the team announced Wednesday. The timetable for Lowry's recovery will lead him to miss at least the first month of the 2025-26 regular season. The Jets did not reveal the reason why Lowry required surgery, which took place on Tuesday, and came 10 days after the regular-season Presidents' Trophy winners were eliminated by Dallas in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series.
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Taoiseach ‘very worried' about email from clinical director at National Orthopaedic Hospital
The Taoiseach has told the Dáil he is 'very worried' about the suspension of a multidisciplinary team's oversight of hip surgery decisions at a Dublin hospital. Micheál Martin said there needs to be an 'exhaustive' review of unnecessary hip surgeries at two Dublin hospitals. Advertisement He was responding to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil on Wednesday. It comes after a clinical audit of surgeries for dysplasia of the hips in children found that a lower threshold for operations was used at CHI Temple Street hospital and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) than the threshold used at CHI Crumlin. The review discovered that in the period 2021 to 2023 almost 80 per cent of children operated on at the NOHC, and 60 per cent of those at Temple Street, did not meet the threshold for surgery. The 2,259 children who underwent hip surgeries in the three hospitals (NOHC, CHI Temple Street and CHI Crumlin) from as far back as 2010 will now be subject to clinical reviews. Advertisement Mr Murphy told Mr Martin about an email from a clinical director at Cappagh which ordered an end to multidisciplinary teams considering the cases of patients listed for pelvic osteotomies, instead deferring to the decision of the individual consultant involved. He said the senior management team at the hospital was also CCd (carbon copied) on the email in November 2023. He quoted: 'Recently, it has become apparent that many children listed for pelvic osteotomies are being cancelled or are having their surgery deferred at short notice thereby causing inefficiencies on surgical lists. 'Following a meeting today, I have decided that patients listed for pelvic osteotomies will no longer be discussed at the MDT Advertisement 'It will be up to the patient's individual consultant to review the X-ray and decide if they wish to proceed.' Mr Murphy said surgeries were being cancelled because other surgeons on the MDT thought they were unnecessary, adding: 'Instead of saying there was something wrong here, the clinical director said 'we'll stop discussing them at the MDT and it'll be fully in the hands of the original surgeon to decide'.' Mr Murphy also told the Dáil about the experiences of a a mother of two daughters, Amelia and Hannah, and a surgeon at Temple Street. He said the mother felt 'unduly and inappropriately' pressured by the surgeon ahead of two osteotomies on Amelia's hips. Advertisement Later, her younger sister Hannah was spotted by the same surgeon while she was in the hospital for an eye issue. Mr Murphy said the surgeon insisted that she also needed two osteotomies despite the family being told by a doctor at the Coombe that this was not necessary. The surgeries on Hannah did not proceed. He said this was a 'chilling example' of the experiences of parents. He questioned whether there was financial motivation as if the operations had been carried out under private health insurance, the surgeon would have made €1,500 for the first hip and €750 for the second. Advertisement He said this may have had a 'significant distorting effect' and was an 'example of the poisonous role of private profit in what should be a public health system'. In response, the Taoiseach said he did not know the reasons behind the decisions which were taken and cautioned that 'private does not mean unethical'. On the email read out by Mr Murphy, Mr Martin said he was not aware of who the clinical director was but described it as a 'serious issue'. 'That seems to be a shutting down of the multidisciplinary team and the multi-disciplinary approach is a safeguard against wrongdoing or poor practice or ill-informed decisions – because the collective can inform. 'And I've met many, many consultants who will say it's the collective approach as to whether we do surgery or not. 'Medicine is not an exact science, that's why the collective is important. He added: 'So I would be very, very worried about the suspension of the MDT team in respect of assessing the necessity for operations in this area.' Mr Murphy also asked the Taoiseach if he believed the surgeons who performed unnecessary operations should be suspended or at least prevented from carrying out osteotomies until an audit into the matter is verified. Mr Martin said Amelia and Hannah's mother should formally refer the matter to the Medical Council or the authorities in CHI. Ireland What's the story with Children's Health Ireland? Read More He said there was an onus on the Medical Council to be proactive on the issue as the professional regulator. He said the CHI also needs to satisfy itself that there is no danger to future patients and that the working environment is safe. Asked if there should not be an onus on parents to request a review, Mr Martin agreed and said there should be an exhaustive examination of cases.
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Hip surgeries: Parents call for independent review by international experts
Parents of children who received hip surgeries in two Dublin hospitals are calling for the establishment of a clinical independent review of surgeries by international experts, after an audit found almost 70 per cent of surgeries carried out at the healthcare facilities were not necessary. On Friday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) published an independent audit on hip surgery thresholds for children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). It examined 147 cases across three hospitals – Temple Street , the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) and Crumlin Hospital . In Temple Street, some 60 per cent of surgeries audited did not meet the clinical threshold for surgical intervention, with this proportion being 79 per cent in NOHC. Two advocacy groups – the scoliosis advocacy network and Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group – held a meeting with more than 70 affected parents on Sunday evening. READ MORE Notes from the meeting show families are unhappy with the HSE's plan to offer all families the opportunity to have their case reviewed by a specialist medical team, believing this will 'only delay meaningful review and support'. [ Hip surgery audit: Almost 70% of operations in two children's hospitals 'unnecessary' Opens in new window ] Parents expressed 'serious concern' about this proposed clinical review pathway because the clinicians who carried out the unnecessary surgeries were not named in the report. The families said they have 'no confidence' in a review process. Instead, the families have called for an independent clinical review of all DDH surgeries. 'This must be carried out by a panel of international paediatric orthopaedic experts, each with a minimum of 10 years' experience and qualifications equal to or exceeding those of Irish consultants,' the families said. 'A core group of parents will liaise directly with the relevant authorities to ensure the panel has the full confidence of families. The composition of the panel must be formally agreed with the parent group.' The two advocacy groups also reiterated their call for a full public inquiry into Children's Health Ireland (CHI), stating there was a specific need to examine 'the systemic governance failures that resulted in preventable harm to their children'. [ Hip surgery audit: How many more times will we hear 'this can never happen again'? Opens in new window ] 'This inquiry is not optional. Families will directly negotiate the terms of reference with the Minister for Health and will not accept any process that excludes their leadership, scrutiny and approval,' they said. Following the publication of Friday's report, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced she has moved to 'strengthen governance and oversight' at CHI and NOHC. The Minister said this will be done by the appointment of two members of the HSE board to the board of CHI, strengthening the service level agreement between the two bodies and increasing involvement of the Dublin Midlands Region Regional Executive Officer. Further arrangements are also being considered in relation to this, Ms Carroll MacNeill said.
BreakingNews.ie
23-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Almost 500 children who had hip surgery in Dublin hospitals ‘should be recalled'
Almost 500 children who underwent hip surgery in two hospitals in Dublin should be recalled, a report has said, after a clinical audit found a lower threshold for operations was used, leading to 'unnecessary' procedures. A final report of the audit was published by Children's Health Ireland (CHI) and National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) on Friday. Advertisement The clinical audit of dysplasia of the hips surgery in children found that a lower threshold was used at Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals. An audit of paediatric hip dysplasia surgeries at CHI hospitals found that hundreds of children operated on between 2021 and 2023 did not meet the threshold for the procedure. It has been discovered that almost 80 per cent of those operated on at NOHC, and 60 per cent of those at Temple Street, did not meet the threshold for surgery in that timeframe. In its report, it stated that the first step should be to recall all 497 cases that underwent pelvic osteotomy at the hospitals between 2021 to 2023. Advertisement They should undergo a standardised independent clinical review and radiological assessment, the report added. 'X-rays should then be reviewed, with the history obtained, by appropriately experienced paediatric orthopaedic surgeons from a different institution to NOHC or TSH,' it said. 'Follow-up with a suitably experienced and independent paediatric orthopaedic surgeon may be required in some cases.' According to the audit, 85 surgeries performed at Temple Street were examined, of which 51 did not meet the clinical criteria for surgery. Advertisement In Cappagh, 70 pelvic surgeries were examined, and 55 did not meet the criteria, meaning almost 80% of procedures were not necessary. The audit examined 147 cases at both hospitals as well as Crumlin hospital, and involved 14 surgeons. The report found that the threshold for procedures varied between Crumlin, Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals. The group of affected patients will be contacted directly to explain what this means and the next steps for them, it said. Advertisement The CEO of Children's Health Ireland, Lucy Nugent, said: 'The care and wellbeing of children is our absolute priority in Children's Health Ireland, and I am sorry that impacted families were not offered one consistent and excellent standard of care across our DDH (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip) service. 'I do not underestimate the stress and anxiety that families are rightfully feeling throughout this audit process. 'To one family in particular, whose child experienced complications during their care in Children's Health Ireland, I extend my heartfelt apology that we have let you down. 'I would like to give my assurance to all of the families affected, that they will be directly supported and are being contacted with follow-up information and the next steps. Advertisement 'We are currently standardising care across all CHI sites, so all children receive the same high-quality treatment no matter where they are seen. 'Also, it is important that we now act swiftly to review DDH surgery patients to enable us to answer outstanding questions raised by this audit. This will be done openly and transparently.' The CEO of NOHC, Angela Lee, said: 'The National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh apologises for the distress that today's published report may understandably cause to children who have had surgery in NOHC and to their parents. 'In recent years, Cappagh has worked with Children's Health Ireland to improve children's access to planned paediatric orthopaedic surgery. 'We are committed to implementing the audit recommendations. Some changes are already under way, with others planned and we will be communicating with all parents/guardians accordingly in the coming days.' Ireland Over €8.7m compensation paid to victims of crime i... Read More Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll McNeill said in a statement: 'I know that parents and young people themselves will have many questions when they read the report and that the findings of this report will lead to worry and uncertainty for them. 'In responding to this report, I am thinking first and foremost of the impact a surgery has on a child. I am also deeply aware of the worry that parents will face today and this is something that is sitting with me all the time. 'My immediate priority is to ensure that there is clinical follow-up and care for patients who have undergone pelvic osteotomy surgery. This follow-up will be in accordance with best practice and the recommendations of the report.'
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
‘A national scandal': Answers demanded after audit highlights over 100 unnecessary hip surgeries on children
Opposition politicians have called for answers on behalf of families after an audit found almost 70 per cent of hip surgeries carried out in two children's hospitals over a three-year period were unnecessary. On Friday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) published the independent audit on hip surgery thresholds for children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The audit examined 147 cases across three hospitals – Temple Street, the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) and Crumlin Hospital. A total of 85 surgeries performed at Temple Street Hospital (TSH) were examined in the audit, of which 51 did not meet the clinical criteria for surgery - meaning 60 per cent were unnecessary. READ MORE In NOHC, 70 surgeries were audited and 55 did not meet the criteria, meaning 79 per cent were unnecessary. Only one of the 63 surgeries examined at Crumlin hospital did not meet the clinical criteria. David Cullinane, Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, said families are 'very anxious' about the report's findings. He said: 'Every parent whose child had a hip surgery at these hospitals will want an answer: was their child's surgery unnecessary? The report does not answer that. It recommends that every case is offered a review. 'The Government is talking about a panel of experts to review cases but are not dealing with this urgently. The process is only being put in place now. The Government has known about this scandal since last May.' Mr Cullinane spoke about the need for further inquiries. He added: 'Why were these surgeons operating at lower standards? Why were there such a high number of double hip surgeries? There seem to be particular surgeons that were problematic. Their practice and the oversight of their practice needs to be scrutinised much further.' Marie Sherlock, health spokesperson for the Labour Party, said the audit paints a 'distressing picture around the lack of clinical governance'. 'There are very serious concerns around informed consent,' she said. 'There are a lot more questions here. At the heart of this are children and their families.' Pádraig Rice, health spokesperson for the Social Democrats and chair of the Oireachtas health committee, said the report identifies 'serious failings around the use of a novel procedure, both in terms of the absence of informed consent and the lack of clinical follow-up to assess the impact of this treatment'. 'Many questions also remain unanswered because of the limited scope of this audit,' he said. 'It only looked at the threshold for surgery, not the reasons for surgery. And while we now have confirmation of what occurred between 2021 and 2023, we still do not know why or how this was allowed to happen. [ Government 'all talk but no action' on disability assessment backlog, says activist Opens in new window ] [ 'I can't wait any longer': Couples with one child await budget pledge on free IVF Opens in new window ] 'Were it not for a whistleblower, these practices could still be happening in our children's hospitals.' People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy described the findings as a 'national scandal'. 'It is not good enough now for the HSE to put the onus on parents to contact a helpline and request a review of their child's case,' he said. 'All hip surgeries carried out in Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals must be examined and parents must be informed whether or not their child's surgery was unnecessary.'
