Operation 'left one leg shorter than the other'

Sukhjinder Lally says surgeons at Southampton General Hospital made mistakes during his routine hip replacement surgery leaving him in agonising pain, one leg an inch shorter than the other and the prospect of a second operation.

Frustrated by his treatment, the 57-year-old from Swaythling has lodged a formal complaint with the hospital, which includes a catalogue of grievances regarding his aftercare.

Health bosses at Southampton General Hospital have now launched an investigation into Sukhjinder’s treatment.

When Sukhjinder woke up from having his left hip replaced, he says doctors told him something had gone wrong, causing his hip to dislocate. They said further surgery was needed to fix it.

But just 24 hours later, he claims they refused to accept any mistakes had been made. They fitted him with a brace and denied another operation was needed.

After nine days in hospital and fearing he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, Sukhjinder sought a second opinion from a private surgeon. He told him a piece of ligament that had turned to bone, visible on the X-ray, should have been removed before the hip was replaced.

He advised further surgery would be needed to fix it. The retired Ford worker also claims nurses failed to wash him regularly, forcing him at one point to call his wife to come in to help clean him.

Sukhjinder, of Greenways, said: “I am in agonising pain even now, yet when I had my right hip done I was out of hospital within three days. I am so angry at the way I have been treated.

"If they had just accepted a mistake had been made and done something to fix it, I could accept that.

"But they have accused my family and me of lying, failed to give us any information about what was happening, leaving us all fearing the worst, left me to lie in my own mess and haven’t given me any advice on how I should be exercising my hip.”

Sukhjinder’s daughter, Gurjit, 25, added: “I’m disgusted. My dad was treated so badly. He has suffered three weeks of hell and all because they messed up.”

Dr Michael Marsh, medical director, confirmed the hospital had received Mr Lally’s complaint, which was being investigated.

He added: “I am sorry to hear Mr Lally’s family has concerns over the treatment he received during his recent stay at our hospital.”

A common procedure

MR David Hartwright, consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at BMI Sarum Road Hospital, Winchester, said: “Hip replacement surgery is common and there are around 50,000 carried out in the UK every year.

“The success rate is around 90 per cent, so the chance of something going wrong are minimum.

“Leg length discrepancy is probably more common than we think because for those who have it, most will not notice it and for those who do, it doesn’t bother them. I would say 9mm is most common, but when it gets to 2.5cm to 4cm, that is when we would worry about problems with the nerves.

“There are a many different causes for dislocation of which one can be a surgical error.

“Mr Lally will be part of a very small number of people who has suffered from both these recognised issues relating to hip replacement surgery.”