'Inoperable' Eva gets spinal surgery after review

A 10-year-old girl whose lifesaving spinal surgery was cancelled seven times has finally had her operation, her mum has said.

Just weeks ago, Eva Tennent's family were told that the curvature of her spine had become so severe following the delays that her condition was now “inoperable”.

But following BBC Scotland News coverage a fresh review led to the operation going ahead last week at Edinburgh's Sick Kids hospital.

Eva's mother Jill Lockhart - who had told the BBC in March she feared her daughter would not survive - said Eva was doing "amazingly well" after the operation.

Eva has Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects brain development, and has advanced scoliosis that causes her spine to twist and curve to the side.

The curvature of her spine was 60.89 degrees in May 2022, went up to 107.9 degrees last year and by March, it was at 110 degrees.

It was squeezing her ribs and pelvis together, putting pressure on her right lung and liver.

Her family said three of her operations at Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital were postponed due to staff shortages.

Last month the BBC also reported that Chris Adams, the spinal surgeon who had originally been planning to operate on Eva, had been suspended by NHS Lothian.

The suspension came a day after Mr Adams - one of Scotland's three paediatric spinal surgeons - met a BBC journalist and accompanied him on a visit to Eva in hospital, which had been requested by her parents.

Mr Adams had previously claimed that nursing shortages at the Edinburgh children's hospital were contributing to some young patients waiting up to three times longer for spinal surgery than they were pre-pandemic.

After the BBC News report, Health Secretary Neil Gray met the medical director and chair of NHS Lothian to set out his concerns about delays to spinal surgery.

He said he expected urgent action to be taken "to ensure the right care for these children happens without delay".

After Mr Adams was removed as Eva's surgeon, a second surgeon deemed that the planned surgery would be of no benefit and she was not fit for the operation.

But following media coverage, a third opinion was sought which suggested the nine-hour operation could relieve her pain and improve her prognosis. It went ahead on Friday.

Her mother Jill said: "She came out of the coma on Saturday and on Sunday they moved her out of intensive care and back to HDU (High Dependency Unit).

"She is wide awake, smiling and laughing, and seems comfortable.

"I keep looking at how straight she is and thinking why we would have been told her spine was fused, and there was nothing they could do but send her home with a ventilator and let her be in pain.

"Now she is straightened, it has prolonged her life for another year at least and she is free from pain. It's overwhelming."

Allister Short, director of children’s services at NHS Lothian said: "If a clinician was not to be at work for any reason, patients and their families would be told as soon as possible if their case was being reassigned to another clinician.

"Cases and care plans are reviewed individually and carefully as part of that process and each patient and their family is communicated with as soon their case review is complete.

"We are unable to discuss individual patients without their consent and we would urge any patients and their families to contact us directly to discuss any concerns and questions about their care."