Hip Surgery Medical Negligence
If your hip operation has had a poor outcome because of medical mistakes, please get in touch with us at Glynns Solicitors.
Perhaps the wrong materials were used? Or a faulty product was put in place? Or you had an infection that was not diagnosed and treated?
Whatever the cause of your complaint, if you believe you have been the victim of medical negligence, you need to talk to a lawyer about pursuing a claim for compensation.
Complications after hip replacement operation
Hip replacements and hip resurfacing operations do carry the risk of complication. A patient should be fully warned of these before signing a consent form. If medical practitioners fail to discuss the risks with a patient, the patient will not have given their informed consent. This in itself is a breach of duty and could lead to a medical compensation claim.
Things that can go wrong after a total hip replacement or hip resurfacing include:
- Dislocation
- Leg length discrepancy
- Sciatic nerve palsy
- Fracture of bone
- Fracture of implant
- Loosening/under-sizing
- Adverse reaction to metal debris
Metal on metal hip replacements (MoM)
Metal on metal (MoM) hip replacements have their own risks that must be discussed with a patient.
Most notably, when the joint is used the ball and cup that make up the implant slide against each. This can corrode the implant, causing metal fragments to splinter off from the implant. This can adversely affect the function of the hip. The metal fragments can also work their way into the bloodstream, potentially resulting in an adverse reaction.
It cannot be predicted who will suffer an adverse reaction, and if they do, what this reaction will be. For some, the metal particles will damage the surrounding bone and tissues. The joint may subsequently loosen or fail. It will also be very painful. This may end with the patient needing a second operation to repair or renew the hip.
There are also reports of patients developing other health issues due to a MoM hip replacement. Examples include kidney disease, thyroid dysfunction and visual impairment.
There have been so many problems with metal on metal hip replacements that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued guidance on the matter. Patients with MoM hip replacements must be monitored annually, and blood tests and imaging tests carried out if the joint becomes painful.
DePuy hip replacements
DuPuy hip replacements are one type of metal on metal implant. They have received considerable attention in the press, as certain products were discovered to have design flaws. These flaws meant that metal could be released into the bloodstream, and that the metal cap attached to the femur (thigh bone) could become loose.
Some patients developed serious complications as a result, including cancer, nerve damage and heart failure.
Legal advice for metal on metal hip implants
If you have been injured as a result of a metal on metal hip replacement, you might want to seek legal advice regarding your position. If you have been the victim of negligence, you could be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation.
Infection after hip replacement not treated
Another complication that can arise after hip surgery is infection. The joint will be susceptible to infection, as the body is being opened up and a foreign body inserted.
Because of this, doctors may give the patient antibiotics before and after the operation. This is known as administering prophylactic antibiotics (prophylactic mean preventative).
Even with prophylactic antibiotics, there is a chance that an infection will still arise in the hip joint. If so, medical practitioners must recognise the problem immediately. If the infection is treated quickly, the patient may be spared any adverse complications.
Indeed, with timely treatment it is possible to eradicate the infection before the joint becomes damaged, and before the patient becomes seriously unwell. But if there is a delay, the bacteria can erode the nearby tissue, ultimately causing dysfunction in the artificial hip. The new hip will therefore be defunct and another implant will have to be inserted, necessitating another operation.
If the bacteria spread to the bloodstream, the patient may also become critically ill. A condition called sepsis will arise, which happens when the body becomes overwhelmed by an infection. Sepsis can be fatal.
Hip replacement infection medical negligence
If medical practitioners administer prophylactic antibiotics, and recognise and treat a post-operative infection in the hip, the standard of care will be acceptable. The correct preventative measures were taken, and although an infection still occurred, it was diagnosed and dealt with quickly.
However, there could be a case of medical negligence if this standard of care is not achieved. For instance, an infection may have chance to arise because antibiotics were not given. Or it may be that the patient began to show signs of infection after surgery, but these were not acted upon, allowing extensive damage to ensue.
If you have suffered a hip replacement infection, or someone close to you has, you will want to know whether medical error is to blame. An infected hip replacement can cause significant pain and suffering, not to mention the trauma of having to undergo a second operation.
A solicitor who specialises in medical negligence will be able to say whether more could have been done to protect the health of you or your loved one.
Expert legal advice
At Glynns Solicitors, we deal almost exclusively with medical negligence claims – also known as clinical negligence in England and Wales.
If you or a family member has encountered medical negligence in relation to a hip operation, we will be able to advise you further. After listening to the details of the case, we will say whether or not there are grounds to pursue a medical negligence claim. If so, we will help you access justice, either taking on your case or referring you to someone who can.
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