May 20th, 2011
*Claire* had a history which included previously developing a DVT during a surgical procedure in 1984.
In January of 2010 Claire required further surgery as she had developed stress incontinence. At her pre-operative assessment she was not assessed for risks of Venous Thrombo Embolism. The surgery was carried out and Claire was discharged home the following day.
Ten days later Claire attended her GP complaining of pain in her calf. Her GP suspected that she had developed a DVT and admitted her to hospital for investigations.
Claire was treated with compression stockings and anoxaparin and clexane until she had a CT scan which showed a thrombus in two of her veins in her lower leg.
Claire commenced warfarin treatment which continued until June 2010.
Claire contacted Alex McKnight at Pryers Solicitors in January 2010. Her claim was investigated and in October 2010 allegations were put to the Defendant that Claire should have been assessed for DVT risks prior to surgery, and should have been given a shot of clexane following surgery to minimise the risk of any DVT developing.
The Defendant admitted this and apologised for their omission. Negotiations to settle the case commenced and in April 2011 the Defendant made an offer to settle of £5,000 which Claire was happy to accept.
The Defendant also paid all of Claire’s legal costs so she kept 100% of her compensation.
Tags: Alex, Allegations, Clexane, Compression Stockings, Ct Scan, Defendant, Dvt, Gp, Investigations, Leads, Negotiations, Omission, Pre Operative Assessment, Risk, Solicitors, Stress Incontinence, Thrombo Embolism, Thrombus, Veins, Warfarin
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 14th, 2011
Pryers act for approximately 90 clients who have suffered injury as a result of their failed DePuy ASR hip joint. The product was withdrawn from sale in August 2010, after studies showed the failure rate to be 12-13% within five years of fitting.
However, evidence has since emerged that other metal-on-metal hip products are failing at similar rates. The British Hip Society has recently quoted studies showing that other metal-on-metal hip products have 5 year failure rates of 12-15%. In the marketing materials for one of those products, the manufacturer claimed a 5 year failure rate of only 0.2%.
Not only does the evidence suggest that the joints are failing more frequently than expected, but the way in which they fail, and the damage they cause as they wear out, is far greater than was expected.
The most commonly used metal-on-metal hip products in use in the UK are the Birmingham hip made by Smith and Nephew, Cormet by Corin, Pinnacle by DePuy and Durom by Zimmer, although there are a number of others.
The components are mostly made of chromium and cobalt. As the components wear, tiny particles of metal become detached and imbedded in soft tissues around the joint, causing an inflammatory reaction. Eventually, this process, called metallosis or ALVAL, causes extensive damage to the muscles and soft tissues around the joint. The joint has to be replaced, but in many cases, the damage to these soft tissues results in the early failure of the new hip, as the soft tissues are essential to hold the joint together and to prevent dislocation. Many people will unfortunately be left permanently disabled.
It therefore appears that the risk of the joint wearing out prematurely is far greater than the manufacturers claimed, and when they do wear out, the damage caused often prevents effective revision surgery.
Pryers Solicitors are now investigating whether a case can be made arguing that other, and possibly all, metal-on-metal hip components are unsafe and defective. If so, then under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, patients will be entitled to compensation.
If you believe that you have suffered injury as a result of a failed metal-on-metal hip device, then please contact Pryers Solicitors.
Richard.starkie@pryers-solicitors.co.uk
Richard.greensit@pryers-solicitors.co.uk
Telephone 0800 316 0166
Tags: Act, Birmingham Hip, Chromium, Cobalt, Corin, Cormet, Depuy, Dislocation, Failure Rate, Failure Rates, Inflammatory Reaction, Joints, Marketing Materials, Muscles, Pinnacle, Risk, Smith And Nephew, Soft Tissues, Solicitors, Tiny Particles
Posted in News, Personal Injury News | No Comments »
October 29th, 2009
A damning report has been published which blames the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the deaths of 14 servicemen in 2006.
The men were in a Nimrod spy plane over Afghanistan when a fuel leak came into contact with super-heated air ducts. It exploded in mid-air, killing all the men instantly.
Yesterday, review chairman Charles Haddon-Cave QC blamed the MoD for cost-cutting and BAE Systems and QinetiQ for failing to rectify design problems which led to the crash.
This could pave the way for the relatives of those involved to claim substantial sums in compensation.
Joe Windall, the father of Marine Joseph Windall who died that day, said he was "shocked and severely disappointed" by the failings in care which put his son and his peers at risk.
The report was authorised after the MoD admitted in March that there were significant failings in the protection of the servicemen – including inadequate fire protection – aboard the Nimrod.
Tags: Afghanistan, Air Ducts, Bae Systems, Chairman Charles, Charles Haddon, Cost Cutting, Crash, Deaths, Fire Protection, Fuel Leak, Mid Air, Ministry Of Defence, Nimrod, Peers, Qc, Qinetiq, Relatives, Risk, Spy Plane, Substantial Sums
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
October 6th, 2009
The safety of unmanned railway crossings has been called into question after a fatal crash involving a car and a train.
Three elderly people were killed in Caithness on September 29th after their car was hit by a high speed train heading to Inverness, the Herald Scotland reports.
It is the same crossing that was at the centre of a similar accident in 2002, when Sarah Jappy was almost killed after driving onto the crossing and being hit by a train.
She is seeking compensation of £500,000 from Network Rail for her injuries and for the threat posed to her unborn baby, who was born while she was in a coma after the accident.
She maintains that if there had been a proper barrier in place at the level crossing, neither her accident nor the most recent one would have happened.
A spokesperson from Network Rail said: "All our level crossings are regularly inspected to check they are appropriate to the level of road and rail traffic in the area and we are confident the correct crossing is in place at Halkirk."
According to railway safety group the RSSB, the risk from signals passed at danger has reduced by over 85 per cent since 2001, while the risk to passengers from train accidents has reduced by more than 80 per cent.
Tags: Caithness, Coma, Crash Car, Fatal Crash, High Speed Train, Inverness, Jappy, Level Crossings, Rail Traffic, Railway Crossings, Railway Safety, Risk, Rssb, Safety Group, Scotland, Signals, Spokesperson, Train Accidents, Unborn Baby
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
September 22nd, 2009
As many as one in six NHS patients is becoming the victim of a misdiagnosis, new research has warned.
A study from Imperial College London found that 15 per cent of people were being diagnosed with the wrong illness because doctors were too quick to assess patients, or were unwilling to seek second opinions when unsure.
Profesor Graham Neale, spokesperson for the institution, said that although the majority of errors were rectified within two days, thousands of people could still be at risk.
Peter Walsh, the chief executive of Action Against Medical Accidents, agreed, commenting: "We would like to see it become a legal requirement for all missed diagnoses to be reported."
Earlier this week, the Manchester Evening News reported that a man had died after being sent home from hospital three times, despite the fact that he had been suffering from a swollen blood vessel in his brain which later ruptured.
Tags: Blood Vessel, Brain, Chief Executive, Doctors, Imperial College London, Manchester Evening News, Medical Accidents, Missed Diagnoses, News Reported That, Nhs Patients, Peter Walsh, Risk, Spokesperson, Three Times
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
