Roughly 5,500 NHS patients who had fractures repaired with metal plates will need their x-rays reviewed after a hospital mix-up lead some patients to receive faulty implants, according to a recent report from The Independent.
All patients had metal plates fitted for various limb fractures since February 2018. The extensive review comes after seven incidents of patients' fractures being repaired with the wrong implant implants at a single NHS trust hospital, according to the article.
The NHS Improvement and the British Orthopedic Association attributed the problem to recent changes in the designs of some reconstruction plates, in which the reconstruction plates and dynamic compression plates are similar in appearance.
"We are asking all hospitals in England who provide orthopedic surgery to review X-rays for their patients who have had surgery involving plates in the past year," Aidan Fowler, NHS Improvement National Director for Patient Safety, told The Independent. "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."
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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.