BRITISH patients are considering legal action over the tissue they received from body parts allegedly stolen in the United States, solicitors have said.

More than 40 NHS patients in England and Wales are known to have been implanted with potentially contaminated bone graft tissue imported from a company under investigation in America.

There are fears that at least 82 pieces of bone used were stolen from bodies in the US — including that of Alistair Cooke, the veteran broadcaster — and may be contaminated with infections such as HIV and syphilis. But British health watchdogs have said that the risk to patients is minimal.

Irwin Mitchell, the law firm, said yesterday that it was acting for a handful of patients who are considering legal action against a number of the US-based individuals and organisations, but that it expected the number to rise.

Suzanne Green, 32, from Caerphilly, South Wales, was one of the patients treated with suspected stolen bone graft tissue — which is used as a filler in orthopaedic surgery such as hip replacements. Mrs Green was treated for a fractured spine and ankle at the University Hospital of Wales in September last year. In a statement she said: “I am now in torment. I am awaiting the results of blood tests to see whether I have any of the possible infections identified, but I am unsure at the moment what the long-term implications will be.”

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