A ‘rogue’ doctor who treated 721 children at Great Ormond Street Hospital left young patients with different length legs and needing amputations, it has been claimed.
The hospital has launched an urgent review of all the youngsters treated by former surgeon Yaser Jabbar, 43, in its orthopaedic department, The Times has reported.
Out of 37 cases checked already, 22 children have reportedly come to some degree of harm with 13 classed as severe harm, according to leaked documents.
One child needed to have a leg amputated following a surgery carried out by Jabbar and another is facing the threat of amputation.
Some have been left with different length legs, in some cases by as much as 20cm, while other injuries include muscle damage and nerve injuries.
Great Ormond Street has launched an urgent review of all the youngsters treated by former surgeon Yaser Jabbar, 43, (pictured) in its orthopaedic department
Pictured: A male leg with an Ilizarov’s external fixator on it
Parents have said they are ‘very upset’ with the treatment that their children received under Jabbar’s care.
One father of a six-year-old boy said his child suffered ‘terrible pain’ after undergoing a lower limb reconstruction in July 2021.
This procedure involved surgically breaking the bone, then inserting metal rings, known as Ilizarov frames, and tension wires to hold the leg in place.
He said however that he raised concerns when a different frame was reportedly used during the operation.
‘After a couple of days the frame became loose and my child was in a lot of pain. You could feel the bone in his leg, which felt out of position, like it wasn’t lined up and was protruding the wrong way,’ the father told The Times.
‘We tried to raise our concerns repeatedly through the official complaints procedure, and I copied the clinical director into many emails, but heard nothing back’, he added.
The father said the initial investigation that was carried out just felt like everything was being ‘brushed under the carpet’ which was ‘very upsetting’.
He said his child was in ‘terrible pain’ and was forced to undergo more surgeries to correct ‘errors’ made in the initial operation.
A review of the youngster’s case found Jabbar’s surgery was ‘incorrect and unsuitable’ for the patient.
The investigation by the hospital comes following a confidential investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons who produced a damning report on Jabbar’s practices earlier this year.
It said he had shown ‘unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour’, which included being aggressive with colleagues.
The 100-page report also noted that young patients were subjected to procedures that were not beneficial or justified.
It is understood the concerns relate to lower limb reconstruction, which included limb-lengthening operations involving a clinical device called a Ilizarov frame.
The front entrance of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children where Yaser Jabbar worked as an consultant orthopaedic surgeon
The metal apparatus, invented by Soviet physician Dr. Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov, is composed of stainless steel rings which are fixed to the bone with wires and pins and is gradually stretched to lengthen the bones.
The functions of the apparatus were derived from the mechanics of a shaft bow on a horse’s harness.
Jabbar left Great Ormond Street last September after an 11-month sabbatical on full pay that he took after concerns were raised about his practices.
A spokesman for Great Ormond Street previously said: ‘Following concerns raised by family members and our staff, we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review our paediatric orthopaedic service.
‘To date as part of the review, the RCS has raised concerns around the practice of a surgeon who no longer works at the trust.
‘We are taking these concerns incredibly seriously.
‘We have written to all patients who may have been impacted, and a group of independent experts from other paediatric hospitals will review the care of all the patients the surgeon was involved in.
‘We are sorry for the worry and uncertainty this may cause the families who are impacted.
‘We are committed to learning from every single patient that we treat, and to being open and transparent with our families when care falls below the high standards we strive for.’
MailOnline has contacted the hospital for comment on the most recent claims.