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Case Summary:
Our client was born in 2012, at a Dublin hospital. Prior to his discharge from the hospital, the records reveal that an examination of his hips were performed and at that stage, his hips were noted to be normal. He underwent a six-week check-up with his GP and at that stage an examination was undertaken which was recorded as normal.
As standard practice he attended his local public health clinic on a number of occasions during the first eighteen months of his life. His hips were also assessed by a public healthcare nurse during the course of his neonatal check-up. He was referred to a Dublin hospital for monitoring at about five months of age and he had further attendances over the three subsequent years.
His parents said he was walking with a limp at approximately 12 months, and they raised concerns with the hospital. At this stage an examination of his hips was undertaken, and the conclusion was that he had a normal gait, and no issues were identified. At a subsequent appointment his parents raised the concern again about his gait and on that occasion, he was noted to be limping. Accordingly, a hip x-ray was ordered but no appointment was received by his parents. Following further review, he was diagnosed with congenital dislocation of his left hip.
Following the diagnosis of his hip dysplasia in another country he attended the Emergency Department of another hospital in Dublin. Physical examination on that date revealed a slight limp and an x-ray confirmed the dislocation of the left hip. He underwent an open reduction of the left dislocated hip.
We instructed a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and a Paediatric Surgeon to review his notes and records.
We argued that an x-ray examination should have taken place earlier when his parents first raised their concerns of the limp and if he had the x-ray at that time, it would have been possible to conservatively treat in a pavlik harness given the fact that he was not walking.
Case Settlement:
The case was successfully mediated for a significant sum with costs in advance of the trial.
Further Information
For more information or to discuss a possible case, please contact Partner Avril Scally or Solicitor Avril Carroll in our Medical Negligence & Personal Injury Team.