Patients recalled after X-ray reviews at Kerry hospital

A REVIEW of X-rays at Kerry General Hospital between 2008 and 2010 has led to some patients being recalled and three patients…

A REVIEW of X-rays at Kerry General Hospital between 2008 and 2010 has led to some patients being recalled and three patients requiring further treatment and investigation, the HSE has said.

The hospital yesterday moved to reassure patients its radiology department was of the highest quality. The statements follow a report in the Kerryman newspaper last week that a Kerry woman in her 70s was diagnosed with cancer months after an initial chest X-ray.

According to the newspaper, the woman had had a routine chest X-ray in November 2009, and while attending the hospital for treatment on another matter in June 2010 was told there appeared to be a “question mark” over the November X-ray. The woman was sent for another X-ray. However, within an hour of returning home she was called back in and extensive tests revealed she had a tumour on her lung. She has since been diagnosed with cancer in both lungs.

The HSE said that “in relation to the specific case identified, the HSE remains committed to the process of engaging with the family so that all their questions and concerns can be fully addressed. HSE management and clinicians have already met with the family on a number of occasions, and will continue to actively engage and communicate with them in relation to this issue.”

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In 2010 Kerry General Hospital reviewed radiological procedures to ensure the reading of X-rays was in line with best practice. It included X-rays from 2008, 2009 and 2010. A number of patients were recalled for follow-up X-rays following clinical review, a limited number of patients required follow-up investigations and treatment at Kerry General Hospital and Cork University Hospital, and three cases were identified which necessitated further treatment.

HSE South’s clinical director at Kerry General Hospital, Dr Richard Liston, said: “I wish to reassure the public that patient care in Kerry General Hospital’s radiology department is of the highest quality, and that the X-ray department is following national guidelines for radiology reporting, which were completed in association with the faculty of radiologists earlier this year.”