CHI criticised for failure to communicate with parents over titanium support rod

Children’s Health Ireland has been criticised for failing to communicate with the parents of children with severe scoliosis about a particular type of titanium spinal support rod, which may now need to be removed.

Children’s Health Ireland has been criticised for failing to communicate with the parents of children with severe scoliosis who were fitted with a particular type of titanium spinal support rod, which may now need to be removed.

Claire Cahill off the Scoliosis Advocacy Network said it has been 13 days since the US manufacturer NuVasive issued a product recall notice when it was discovered some of the rods had experienced the separation of an end-cap in the mechanism, potentially exposing some of its internal components, including alloy debris.

Ms Cahill told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that it was unfortunate that the first many parents had heard about the recall was through media reports.

“We contacted Simon Harris and Children’s Health Ireland on the day of the notice of the recall. It is really disappointing to see it first in a newspaper, that parents haven’t been informed properly.”

The issue was not just about health and safety, she said, it was about communication.

Parents had complete faith in the surgeons who had carried out the procedures, she said.

It should be easy to identify if any Irish children had the rod at the centre of the recall notice, said Ms Cahill.

It was a matter of examining their files and then informing the families.