Teen unable to walk after surgery by Yaser Jabbar

A teenager who suffered severe harm at the hands of a surgeon said the experience left him in horrifying pain.

James Wood, 19, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was 12 when he was first referred to Yaser Jabbar at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Wood, who was born with a rare congenital condition that mainly affects neuromuscular and skeletal functions, said: "I was never right after I had that operation, and was in pain from the moment the frame was put on me.

"Rather than it getting better, it began to get worse."

He added: "I struggle a lot with stairs because I have to use one leg at a time. It makes it a lot harder to walk longer distances and I can be slow walking."

Nearly 100 children were harmed by the GOSH limb reconstruction surgeon, according to a report published on Thursday.

"I missed a lot of my formative high school experiences and it left me quite lonely in my childhood because I spent my early teenage years in recovery," said Wood.

"It was all incredibly traumatic and the pain is still horrifying and has had a long-term impact.

"To later find out that my surgeon was harming not only me but many others and was not stopped for many years, is abysmal."

Wood was referred to Jabbar in September 2018 and underwent an operation in April 2019 which saw a frame fixed to his leg with the aim of stretching the tissue in his knee.

But weeks later, he began to suffer extreme pain and swelling in his right thigh.

His local hospital sent him back to GOSH for review, and it was found that one of the pins used to secure the frame had protruded into Wood's thigh.

When it was removed, there was a lot of bleeding and surgeons noted damage to his femoral artery.

The frame was removed and Wood was put in a permanent full-length leg cast to support his leg. He developed a deep pressure sore on his heel.

An independent review into his treatment ahead of the publication of Thursday's report found "poor surgical skill" by Jabbar had resulted in the pin going into Wood's thigh when the frame was fitted.

Caroline Murgatroyd, a solicitor who is representing Wood, said: "The [hospital] trust's report may well offer reassurance that changes have been made to prevent this happening again, but this is of little comfort to so many children and parents who believed they were being treated in the best possible place."

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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