Alert over 5,500 broken bone ops

Patients face new surgery after some got ‘wrong metal plates’

THOUSANDS of patients who had surgery on broken bones face further treatment after some were fitted with the wrong type of metal plate.

Hospitals have been ordered to review the X-rays of about 5,500 patients who have been treated for limb fractures in the past year.

A national review has been announced by the NHS and British Orthopaedic Association after seven patients at one trust were found to have had flexible plates inserted rather than rigid ones.

Two patients fell, causing the plate to buckle, leaving them needing further operations.

Another patient had to have additional surgery after their plate failed when they were having postoperative physiotherapy.

Patients at the unnamed trust were not treated by the same surgeon, leading to fears the mistake may be more widespread.

Officials estimate that most of the 141 NHS trusts in England will have performed the procedure for long bone fractures in the forearm (ulna and radius), thigh (femur), upper arm bone (humerus) or shin bone (tibia).

They have until May to review X-rays to check that the wrong plates have not been fitted.

Any affected patients will be contacted by their hospital to determine whether further treat- ment is necessary. Recent changes in design resulted in two plates – reconstruction and dynamic compression ones – looking similar, the hospital regulator said.

It is estimated that 30 to 40 patients at each trust in England could have had a plate fitted.

Dynamic compression plates are stronger and more rigid than reconstruction plates. The latter are more flexible as they may need to be reshaped during more complex surgery.

While most fractures heal quickly, some can take up to a year, NHS Improvement said. So patients whose fractures have not fully healed could be at risk of the plate going wrong if the wrong one has been inserted. Dr Aidan Fowler, from NHS Improvement, said: ‘When we identify patient safety issues, it is important that we act to reduce the risk of them being repeated.

‘We are asking all hospitals in England which provide orthopaedic surgery to review X-rays for patients who have had surgery involving plates in the past year.’

He added: ‘Patients should not be alarmed and do not need to take any action themselves.

‘The risk of harm is low and their local hospital will contact them if there is a chance that they have been affected.’

Any hospital that finds an incorrect plate has been fitted should work with the patient on a care plan, the regulator said.

It should also report the incident to NHS Improvement, carry out a serious incident investigation and change theatre processes to ensure that the two types of plate are not confused.

Hospitals in the NHS have now been asked to only purchase reconstruction plates that come in individual sterilised packs.