Compensation secured after delay in treating testicular torsion led to removal of the testicle

Our specialist clinical negligence team acted on behalf of a young man who suffered testicular torsion.  The subsequent delay in treating the torsion, which was the basis of this claim, led to the claimant losing one of his testicles. Harry Smith, a medical negligence lawyer in the team, secured £28,000 in compensation for the young man.

The male claimant, who was a minor at the time of the incident, was woken one morning by severe pain in the lower right section of his abdomen.  The pain was so severe that he was unable to move, and his mother was promptly advised by NHS 111 to take him to A&E, arriving at around 10:20am.

Approximately two hours after the onset of abdominal pain, the pain had spread to his testicles.  The claimant was examined by a nurse at approximately 11:30am, who noted testicular torsion as a possible diagnosis.

Subsequently there was a delay in the claimant being reviewed by a doctor, but it was noted at around 2pm that the claimant needed to be nil-by-mouth for ‘testis torsion repair’.

The claimant was reviewed by the surgical team between 3pm and 4pm, but was not taken to theatre for surgery until 10pm, with the procedure starting close to 11pm.

The claimant underwent a bilateral scrotal exploration, and unfortunately the testis was found to be ‘dead/non-viable’, and had to be removed.

Torsion of the testicles is well established to be a medical emergency requiring urgent treatment.  The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines recommend that if torsion of the testicle is suspected, immediate surgical exploration is needed.

The longer the period of time that the testicle remains torted the higher the likelihood that removal of that testicle will be required, with a delay of 12+ hours from the onset of pain making an orchidectomy more likely than not.

The significant delay in operating led to the claimant losing his testicle.

The Trust admitted liability at an early stage enabling us to achieve a settlement of £28,000 which included the cost of surgery for a prosthesis implant on a private basis.

In recent years, the clinical negligence team at Thomson Snell & Passmore has noticed an increase in the number torsions of the testicle which are either misdiagnosed or are treated too late.

Despite the claimant in this case being in the most high risk age bracket for testicular torsion, the staff involved were unaware of the time critical emergency nature of this condition.

Harry Smith is a clinical negligence lawyer experienced in handling cases of testicular torsion.  If you would like to ask Harry a question about a potential case involving torsion of the testicle, or you have a more general query about medical negligence cases, please contact him on 01892 701193.  We offer no win no fee agreements on the vast majority of our clinical negligence and personal injury cases.