My daughter has just been diagnosed with Congenital Dysplasia of the Hips or CDH. She is now 15 months old and I have been told she will need surgery to correct the problem. We are all very upset about this – I have taken her for all her check-ups and regularly attended the clinic to be seen by the Health Visitor. What has upset me more is finding out that she could have been diagnosed and treated early and avoided surgery. Someone must be held accountable for this – what can I do?
CDH is a dislocation of the hip which some children are born with, the causes of which are unknown. Newborn babies are checked for the condition soon after birth and it can be detected by a ‘clicking’ sound when the baby’s legs are abducted or pushed apart by the paediatrician. The condition is also looked for at subsequent check ups, as it is important to detect CDH early.
Early detection is likely to mean less intervention as you have suggested. If detected early on in life, it can be remedied by the use of a harness or pushing the hip bone back in place under anaesthesia. By the age of 2 (and often earlier), these methods are not an option and surgery becomes necessary.
Although CDH cannot be prevented, careful examinations must be carried out at all check ups to identify any problems with the hips.
To establish if your daughter was properly treated, you will need to check your ‘Parent Held’ records to see if her hips were examined and what comments were made. The condition can be missed even if the hips are examined but if there was no examination carried out then this is likely to be in breach of Department of Health guidelines, and you may be able to establish a case on behalf of your daughter. You will then need to seek legal advice as to compensation for your daughter.
