Early Failure to Diagnose Leaves Our Client with Permanent Hip Problems

Emily has been extremely unfortunate in that the negligent medical care, which will affect her for the rest of her life, occurred when she was only a few months old.

Although, at the time of her birth, the initial medical examination noted that her hips were normal, her mother soon began to wonder if something was wrong. Nothing was noted at Emily's six week check but, concerned that her legs were of differing lengths, Emily's mother took her to the GP.

On two separate occasions when Emily was just a few months old, her mother's fears were dismissed by the doctors at the local surgery.

However, as Emily began crawling and then trying to walk, the problem became clearer as it appeared that she was limping.

This time, a return visit to the GP prompted an urgent referral and a week or so later Emily was diagnosed with dislocation of the left hip and developmental dysplasia. By this time, Emily was 17 months old.

Over the next few years, several attempts were made to resolve or improve Emily's hip pain and walking problems with manipulation and surgery but, as she made her way through secondary school, her difficulties worsened and experts monitored the development of her hip and symptoms whilst considering what would be the best way forward with such a young patient.

A total hip replacement was considered undesirable at this stage and it was eventually decided to attempt a periacetabular osteotomy to reshape the hip socket. Emily was now 15 years old.

This did not produce the desired results and, over time, Emily's pain increased, spreading to her right hip and affecting her mobility and thus her ability to engage in activities and sports which would have been her choice.

Eventually, Emily had to undergo a total left hip replacement during her 'A' level studies, requiring considerable time off school.

Looking back, Emily feels strongly that her symptoms and all the surgery required to try to resolve her hip problems significantly affected her quality of life, her schooling and her life opportunities.

When she approached Glynns to review the quality of her medical care, our experts found that the way in which her early medical appointments were handled amounted to breaches of duty.

Failures of examination, observation, diagnosis and referral all amounted to a significant delay in the diagnosis of Emily's hip dysplasia. It was felt that, had she been diagnosed at either of her two early GP appointments, the surgery required at that stage would have been more limited and its success would have been far greater, preventing many of the issues she suffered throughout her childhood and teenage years. And which she continues to experience to some degree to this day.

The early signs and symptoms which her mother identified such as differing leg lengths, crawling difficulties and a fold of fat on the inner thigh, should have suggested a possible issue of hip dysplasia.

Emily was awarded in excess of £500,000.00 in compensation in recognition of her pain and suffering as well as taking account of the continuing impact of her negligent medical care.

(Details which might identify our client have been changed.)

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