Youngsters who must wait for pain relief
Linda Summerhayes
Evening News 04 Jan 2006
SURGEONS at the Sick Kids Hospital today warned that a shortage of
specialist staff means they cannot treat all the children who need
operations to beat a crippling spine condition. One hundred children face
waits of up to nine months for surgery to cure potentially devastating
curvatures of the spine.
But the figure is rising because the two surgeons at the Sick Kids say they
are being "overwhelmed" by the number of youngsters needing their
expertise.
Spine surgeon Michael McMaster, the director of the Scottish National
Paediatric Spine Deformity Service, said the Sick Kids needed "several
more
surgeons" simply to cope with the demands on the hospital.
The two surgeons at the Sick Kids are the only ones in
operate on youngsters who develop a condition in which
the spine becomes curved andtwisted. One high-profile
sufferer of the
condition was Princess Eugenie who has undergone a successful operation. The
crisis comes less than a year after Health Minister Andy Kerr said
paediatric spinal services would be delivered for the whole of
the city's
Mr McMaster said: "Because there are only two of us and we are dealing
with
the whole of
putting large numbers of patients on the waiting list.
"We have a huge demand on our services and we are overwhelmed by the numbers
of patients that are being referred to us. We need several more surgeons.
But because this is such a specialist field, in order to be able to do this
surgery, you need to have lots of special additional training."
He added: "This is difficult and potentially dangerous surgery and there
are
not many surgeons who have had the training."
In a year, Mr McMaster and his colleague Thanos Tsirikos will see 1300
children from across
condition, known as scoliosis, can develop at any time during childhood and
adolescence and often it is teenage girls who are suddenly affected by its
rapid onset.
If left untreated, the condition can sometimes be fatal as the heart and
lungs become restricted. In some cases, metal pins are inserted into the
spine to straighten it. As scoliosis becomes moresevere
over time, the
longer children wait for an operation, the
more complicated and risky it is for the surgeons to correct. Mr Tsirikos
said youngsters were often waiting between six and nine months for an
operation and there were currently 100 children on the list for the
procedure.
"We are putting more patients on the waiting list than we take out which
is
the difficulty now," he said. "In an ideal situation, there should be
four
of us [working] five days a week, if we are going to provide a national
service.
"The problem we have is there are too many patients and we don't have
enough
theatre space and enough surgeons." An operation can take around eight
hours
but, if the curvature is severe, the expertise of both surgeons is required
and the procedure can take up to four hours longer.
Before the national centre was established in April, a surgeon also worked
from
Mr McMaster said he thought it was a good idea to pool expertise at a
national centre provided facilities were available to cope with
the demand.
The Scoliosis Association has long been calling for greater investment in
services, and campaigners said the shortage of surgeons was getting worse
throughout the
Association founder Ailie Harrison said: "The
position in
dire for a long time and, given the geography and the
long distances people have to travel, it's really terrible. "People
are also
waiting much longer than they should be and it seems that it's worse now
than it used to be.
"It's a very long operation and a very serious one, and because they are
working in close proximity to the spinal chord, you need people who have
real expertise to do it and there doesn't seem to be many young surgeons
coming up.
"It's a national problem - a problem in
Around four children in every 1000 develop scoliosis and the condition is
six times more common in teenage girls than boys.
In 2002, at the age of 12, Princess Eugenie, the daughter of the Duke and
Duchess of
spine.
Mrs Harrison said that, despite high-profile cases, public awareness of the
condition was poor. She said even GPs were often unaware of symptoms, and
the association planned to publish a booklet next month aimed at doctors.
"Quite a lot of GPs still believe that it is a problem that will go away
over time but it is very important that they refer patients to see a
specialist as soon as possible,"
she said.
"It's recognised that any delay in the condition being recognised and
treated is also psychologically bad for patients, especially
teenagers."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive was unable to say if the health
department was consideringimprovements to the
service. She said: "The
Scottish Executive will continue to work with NHS boards on planning and
delivering local services across
SNP deputy health spokesman Stewart Maxwell said the shortage of specialist
spine surgeons was another example of lack of planning and foresight by the
Scottish Executive.
"Unfortunately there is no quick fix because it takes at least seven years
to train doctors," he said. "And it is not the Executive who are
suffering,
it is the public and, in this case, children."
Claire helps fellow sufferers heal emotional scars
NO BYLINE
Evening News 04 Jan 2006
CLAIRE GRACIE is now a confident young woman who is more than happy to show
off the scar that runs from the nape of her neck to the base of her spine.
Together with her mother, the 18-year-old student now devotes much of her
time providing support to Scots scoliosis patients and their families.
But only three years ago, Claire was depressed and scared to leave her
bedroom for fear of the cruel remarks her peers would make about her
deformed back.
The keen swimmer's nightmare began when she was 14 years old and her
hairdresser spotted that the youngster's shoulders were not straight.
Following an 18-month battle with her local health board in the west of
to straighten her spine in
Her mother Caroline Gracie, 42, said Claire waited six months for the
operation but the complex procedure changed the teenager's life for the
better.
She now believes children should not have to wait for treatment and is a
passionate campaigner to improve services for those with scoliosis in
She said: "Psychologically, it tears families apart. You don't know if
your
child is dying because it takes so long to see someone who knows about the
condition.
"Because it happens to teenagers who are at such a vulnerable stage in
their
life, it seems like a grand deformity and, when word gets out, kids can be
nasty.
"As a parent, you wonder if it's your fault, if you've passed something
on.
I didn't know if she was going to live or die because no one can give you
any answers.
"There is no back-up in
the GPs seem to know much about it."
Mrs Gracie, of Kilwinning, near
at the
"The change in her has been like day and night," she said. "From
the girl
who used to lock herself in the bedroom with the blinds shut, she is now
happy to show off her scars and even wore a backless dress to her school
prom."
Claire said: "Psychologically, to find out you've got scoliosis is quite
traumatising - trying to get your head round having the condition and
thinking you are different.
"I found out the people I thought were my friends weren't and they went
out
of their way to make me feel different and make me feel like a freak. I
wouldn't wish anyone through it.
"The main thing I would tell people is don't hide
away because that's what I
did. I was miserable, not myself, and like a completely different person.
"I was always angry, thinking 'why me?' and wanting to die because I was
different. But now I would say, be yourself - you just
have to get on with
it. It's not the end of the world."
Donors' imaging gear speeds up spinal
surgery at Sick Kids
Linda Summerhayes Health Reporter
Evening News 31 Dec 2005
HUNDREDS of children with severe spinal problems are to get better treatment
at the Sick Kids thanks to fundraisers who collected
The donation has paid for new imaging equipment which will allow surgeons to
carry out complex operations more quickly and easily.
The cash has come from the Sick Kids Friends Foundation which is dedicated
to raising funds to make the lives of patients at the hospital more
comfortable.
The two surgeons at the Scottish National Paediatric Spine Deformity Service
treat youngsters who develop a condition in which the spine becomes curved
and twisted.
In a year, they will see 1300 children from across
disorder or require follow-up treatment.
The condition, known as scoliosis, can develop at any time during childhood
and adolescence and often it is teenage girls who are suddenly affected by
the condition's rapid onset.
In some cases, a lengthy operation is needed in which metal pins are
carefully inserted into the spine to straighten it.
Infants can also be affected and a metal rod is inserted into their back to
correct the deformity which, if left untreated, can be fatal as the heart
and lungs become restricted. As the babies grow, they have to return to
hospital every six months for further operations to have the "growth
rod"
extended.
The director of the service, Michael McMaster said: "Teenage girls who are
perfectly normal and healthy develop this curvature which can be very
deforming.
"For the infants the curve can be life-threatening - it interferes with
the
development of the heart and the lungs and if not corrected will ultimately
kill them.
"Not everybody needs to have an operation but those that do need a very
difficult and complex operation which, for the average patient, can take
between six and eight hours.
"Very complex operations can take up to 12 hours to do because it's done
in
two stages under the same anaesthetic."
Mr McMaster added that in teenage girls, the condition was not painful but
was often spotted by someone else.
In severe cases, the youngster's back becomes so twisted that a hump forms.
Using existing equipment, the surgeons rely on X-rays to show them where to
place the spinal pins which straighten the back.
The new table and image intensifier will remove the need for surgeons to
wait for an X-ray image to be returned to them as they can work from a
screen which will immediately show them where the pins should go.
Maureen Harrison, director of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: "
75,000 is a great deal of money, but these babies, toddlers and young people
really deserve to benefit from the best possible, state-of-the-art equipment
during their operations and that is what we are fundraising to buy.
"Their surgery will make such a huge difference to the rest of their
lives.
"Many of our supporters have already contributed to this appeal and we
would
like to thank them for their support and invite other people to join them
and help us to make the Sick Kids even better."
City surgeon's invention set to transform spine treatment
Linda Summerhayes Health Reporter
Evening News 10 Nov 2005
AN invention which will save children from years of traumatic surgery is set
to revolutionise the treatment of a rare spinal disorder.
The device is the brainchild of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's consultant
orthopaedic spine surgeon John Burke, who has just won a major innovation
award for his design.
Currently, young children who suffer from scoliosis - a disorder which, if
left unchecked, can result in severe curvature of the spine - are fitted
with a telescopic titanium rod which supports their spine.
Every six months, as the infant grows, the child has to undergo further
surgery to lengthen the implant and keep the deformity at bay.
The scoliosis in children who require this type of surgery is usually
discovered at around three years old and regular surgery continues for
approximately seven years.
But because Dr Burke's deformity correction implant is fitted between each
of the vertebrae in the back, and grows with the child, regular surgery is
unnecessary.
The system is expected to be so efficient that major corrective surgery of
the spine later in life is less likely to be needed.
Expected to be made of cobalt chrome, Dr Burke believes his implant could
also help children who suffer from knock-knees and club foot syndrome.
Dr Burke, who also works at the
"Scoliosis is quite a rare thing and much more common in
in
invented is a device that you put in and it grows with them.
"Essentially, it's still a concept and is really at the beginning of its
development.
"Now we need to get it computer-modelled and get a prototype which can be
tested.
"It's a new concept so we need to do extensive tests before we can use it
on
a child."
Scoliosis can develop at any time during childhood and adolescence but only
two in every 10,000 infants are diagnosed.
Severe deformity, now uncommon due to modern treatment, can lead to damaged
lung function, or disability in middle age.
Ailee
and very important that it's diagnosed early.
"For those who have to have surgery, this invention will be fantastic
because it should cut the number of operations, which is so awful for young
children.
"Also, it's very important that families and doctors and midwives who
suspect a young baby might have a problem refer them to their GP as soon as
possible."
Dr Burke's design joined 1200 entries and he was handed the prize for Best
Innovation to Improve Child Health by child welfare campaigner Esther
Rantzen at a prestigious award ceremony in
Award founder Andy Goldberg, of the Medical Futures organisation, said:
"This year's entries were truly the best of British healthcare.
"Dr Burke's idea had to beat a very strong field to win and it won because
the judges believed that it will make a huge difference to scoliosis
sufferers in this country. It is an elegant solution to a profound
problem."