Septic Arthritis Not Diagnosed
After attending A&E with the signs of septic arthritis, Aurora was wrongly told she had pulled a muscle. She was discharged and soon became critically unwell.
Whilst on holiday, Aurora told her husband of a sharp pain in her right hip. This became increasingly worse, and, within a couple of days, she was in excruciating agony.
The family was very worried so called for an ambulance. Aurora was given morphine and taken to A&E. She was seen by a doctor who performed some tests and ordered an x-ray. She was also given an antibiotic drip as she had a raised CRP level (which indicates infection), but it transpired the drip was never turned on.
The same evening Aurora was told by the doctor that she had simply pulled a muscle. She was told she did not need to be admitted as she could walk three steps using crutches. She was discharged without further treatment or advice.
Over the following three days Aurora remained in bed becoming increasingly unwell. She was very hot and delirious. She was also in extreme pain, so much so that she accidentally took an overdose of paracetamol.
Her sister rang her own GP practice for advice. She was told to call for an ambulance immediately. Aurora was taken back to the same hospital where she was quickly diagnosed with septic arthritis in her right hip. Due to the delay in treatment, the infection had spread, meaning Aurora also had pneumonia and sepsis (blood poisoning).
The family was told to prepare for the worst. Thankfully after 10 days in the Intensive Care Unit and a further three weeks in hospital, Aurora was well enough to go home. During her stay in hospital she had four operations to drain the infection from her hip. She remained in constant pain and required a morphine pump. The pain was exacerbated by a severe pressure sore which developed on her buttocks.
Aurora remained at her sister's house for the next three months. She was bedridden for most of this time, putting great strain on all the family. She required weekly visits from a nurse but gradually began to recover from the infection.
However, the infection had been so aggressive that it had destroyed her right hip. She therefore needed a two stage primary hip replacement which was completed later the same year. Aurora was also left with residual pain secondary to her sacral pressure sores for which she received treatment from the pain clinic.
Aurora does not require any further operations but has by no means recovered from her illness. She remains in pain and her mobility is significantly restricted. The pressure sore is especially painful and part of the tissue has died. She cannot bend down and must use crutches when she leaves the house. She finds this very frustrating as she was once an independent and active woman who loved walking.
Her physical condition has caused Aurora to suffer bouts of depression. She never experienced any mental health issues before her illness. She must also rely heavily on her husband as she is unable to do even simple tasks such as carry her plate to the dinner table.
After calling us for advice, we told Aurora that she had been the victim of medical negligence. When she first attended A&E she clearly had symptoms of septic arthritis with an extremely painful right hip, a reduced range of movement, fever, high temperature and a markedly raised CRP. The diagnosis made by the A&E doctor of abductor strain was inconsistent with the symptoms and clinical findings with which she presented.
This error delayed the diagnosis and treatment of her condition, causing Aurora to become seriously unwell with the additional complications of sepsis and pneumonia. This would have been avoided had a correct diagnosis been made when she first attended hospital.
We helped Aurora make a claim. She was awarded over £40,000 compensation.
(Details which might identify our client have been changed.)
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