A woman whose non-verbal son received hip surgery in a Dublin hospital in 2023 said she was “devastated” to be told three weeks ago the operation was not necessary.
The mother, who does not want to be named, is the latest to speak out in advance of the publication soon of an independent review into hip surgeries in children.
In all, 2,259 families of children who received hip surgery over a 15-year period have received letters in advance of the publication of the audit on unnecessary surgeries.
The review, announced last July, is looking at a random, anonymised sample of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) hospital sites as well as at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh (NOHC).
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It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between the three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases.
The mother, from the west of Ireland, said her son, who is now aged six and has special needs, was identified as having one leg that was slightly longer than the other when he was a baby.
He was referred to Temple Street hospital in Dublin when he was six months old, where a pelvic X-ray was carried out. Following this, the surgeon told the family the child had DDH and would require monitoring.
The mother said she was surprised by this as they had been told by clinicians in their local hospital that there was no problem with his hips.
A further X-ray was carried out in January 2023, at which point the mother said: “We were told the left hip hadn’t developed and surgery would be required. The right wasn’t as bad, but they were going to do both.”
Six months later, the child had surgery on his left hip in the NOHC in June 2023 when he was aged four. The mother said the surgeons “decided in the theatre the right hip was fine”.
The mother attended Temple Street hospital three weeks ago when she asked a different orthopaedic surgeon to review the X-ray taken of her son six months before his operation.
“He said his hips were fine. And I asked if he would have done the surgery, and he said no he would not have,” she said.
The woman said a memory that was now “burned into my brain” came soon after the surgery when her son tried to use the bathroom by himself.
“My child, who is non-verbal, was crawling across the floor to use the toilet because he can’t tell us that he needs to use it and he doesn’t know what’s happened to him,” she said.
“To hear now that it was unnecessary is devastating. Absolutely devastating. We trusted what we were told and why wouldn’t you trust it?
“The guilt as a parent is overwhelming. We’re supposed to protect our kids. These are real kids, and it [the surgery] has a massive impact.”
NOHC was contacted for comment.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, CHI said it wrote to 1,757 parents of children and young people who underwent any type of hip surgery for DDH in its hospitals, dating back to 2010.
Furthermore, NOHC wrote to 502 parents of patients who underwent DDH surgery in the hospital, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity.
“We recognise the concerns of our patients’ families and are committed to expediting the audit process, publishing the findings and implementing any required actions. When the audit is complete, we will prioritise open and transparent communication with our patient families,” the statement said.
A spokesman for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she noted the publication of the number of letters sent by CHI and NOHC
“The minister is very conscious of the concern that will be felt by all patients and families affected,” the spokesman said.
“The minister will be in a position to comment further once the audit is published.”
