Tags

, , , , , , ,


Knee Implant patient says he was ‘left to suffer’ – Hamilton Advertiser.

Knee Implant patient says he was ‘left to suffer’

A HAMILTON pensioner says he has suffered excruciating pain – after having implants inserted into both knees.

Bruce Hendry (86), of Fairhill, got in touch with the Advertiser following our report last week, which detailed concerns about artificial knees.

Leading health expert Professor Andrew Carr urged better monitoring of knee implants as, unlike drugs, they are only tested for safety and not for effectiveness or durability.

In our report, Alberto Gregori, clinical director for orthopaedics at NHS Lanarkshire, said there is already a team in this area which follows up joint replacement patients for the rest of their lives.

But Bruce, who had both his knees replaced in 2009, feels he has been left to suffer.

His knees began giving him problems after he fell and broke his hip in 2010.

Bruce said: “I broke my left hip and it was replaced at Hairmyres Hospital. And then my knees seemed to go bad. There was no progress at all.

“I wanted to see my consultant in August 2010, but I was passed on to a physiotherapist. The physiotherapy did me no good and I have heard nothing since.

“I should be sent for x-rays, and getting both hips x-rayed and both knees x-rayed.

“They should be approaching me to go and get checked. I’m not getting the service that we’re supposed to get.

“There has been no monitoring at all.

“They maybe think: ‘He’s 87, he’s only got a short time left, don’t bother with him.’

“I feel as if no-one is bothering. I’m being left to get on with it and I’m suffering such a lot of pain.”

Bruce is taking four painkillers a day to try and cope.

He can only move around the house with the aid of a tripod walking frame.

He is essentially housebound and relies on relatives visiting to help him with everyday things.

A spokesperson for NHS Lanarkshire said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to comment on individual cases. However, we would urge the patient to contact us directly so that we can investigate this matter and can discuss their concerns with them.”

About these ads