Surgeon To Be Investigated After Leaving Two Women with Permanent Injuries
01/10/2009
A private surgeon who performed unnecessary spinal surgery on two women, leaving them with permanent injuries, is to be investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC).
Twelve months after receiving two complaints, the GMC have decided that Andrew Quaile should face a ‘fitness to practice hearing’, although a date has yet to be set. Lynda Lyons and Jan Brooks complained in September 2008 about the treatment they received and questioned whether Mr. Quaile, of back injury specialists Spineworks, was fit to continue performing spinal surgery.
Mrs. Lyons said: “I don’t want anyone to suffer in the way that I did. I have enjoyed lots of good times before I lost my mobility. My greatest fear is that a child suffering from scoliosis could be struck down before they’ve had a chance to experience a full life.”
Both women contacted personal injury specialists at Irwin Mitchell, who advised them to file a medical negligence claim, and received undisclosed sums in an out of court settlement. Alison Eddy, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: “The treatment received by these two women was appalling. Mr. Quaile did not undertake appropriate assessments before recommending treatment and did not tell his patients the extent of the surgery they were about to undergo. As a consequence two previously active women now have serious spinal injuries and a much lower quality of life.”
Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Brooks contacted the Spineworks clinic over concerns about scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, a condition that both women suffer from.
Mrs. Brooks, now 62, raised concerns about her spine eventually being bent double and was advised by Mr. Quaile to undertake surgery which would involve inserting metal rods into her back.
The GMC heard that Mr. Quaile continued with the operation even after discovering packs of equipment needed were incomplete. During the operation Mr. Quaile fused Mrs. Brooks’s spine to her pelvis after discovering that he could not continue with the operation as planned. In addition to this Mr. Quaile failed to use any equipment during the operation to monitor Mrs. Brooks’s spinal cord.
The surgery left Mrs. Brooks with damage to her spinal cord and despite two corrective surgeries she is in constant pain and has become reliant on family members. Specialists later advised Mrs. Brooks that the surgery was not necessary and her condition could have been treated with physiotherapy.
Mrs. Lyons also told the GMC the details of her two unsuccessful operations performed at Spineworks using the Dynesys system. During a third operation Mr. Quaile inserted metal rods and screws into her spine. Mrs. Lyons says that the operation wasn’t appropriate as she suffers from osteoporosis and that the operations have severely worsened her condition. Mrs. Lyons has been left with limited mobility and severe pain which has impaired all aspects of her everyday life.
Corrective surgery was carried out by another surgeon to try and rectify the problems caused by Mr. Quaile’s surgery but Mrs. Lyons still has difficulty carrying out everyday tasks due to the pain. Because of the surgery Mrs. Lyons has had long periods of being unable to work, causing her severe financial difficulty.
Corrective surgery, taking over 16 hours, was performed on both Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Brooks over a 2 month period at the same NHS hospital to rectify the original surgery.
“My surgeon told me that my treatment would have cost in excess of £100,000 were it to have taken place in a private hospital”, said Mrs. Lyons, “Why should the taxpayers have to foot that bill?”
Jan Brooks advised anyone considering spinal surgery to make sure it is absolutely vital: “Don’t just get a second opinion, get three or four. Don’t take the consultants word at face value – do your own research. And only use a surgeon who also works for the NHS in an NHS hospital.”
Back to news