Preview Newsletter
Ethicon 7/27
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Sling The Mesh campaign: worrying lack of surgeons who have enough experience to remove it when it goes wrong
Jul 25, 2015 | Wisbech Standard
By Kath Sansom
Women are now having to wait up to eight months to have the corrective surgery needed if their TVT, TVTO mesh sling or prolapse mesh operation goes wrong. -
Sling the Mesh: MP is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about future patient care for women
Jul 24, 2015 | Cambs Times
By Kath Sansom
MP Steve Barclay said he has been left “cautiously optimistic” after meeting one of the heads of the Government’s medicines watchdog body to talk about reporter Kath Sansom’s Sling The Mesh campaign. -
Diverse competitors to take part in Whidbey Triathlon
Jul 25, 2015 | South Whidbey Record
By Evan Thomson
... It was later discovered that complications involving a synthetic mesh to correct a prolapsed vaginal canal, which had been implanted in 2006 while she was having a prophylactic hysterectomy and her ovaries removed, was causing Buchanan severe and debilitating pain...
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Jul 25, 2015 | Wisbech Standard
By Kath Sansom
Women are now having to wait up to eight months to have the corrective surgery needed if their TVT, TVTO mesh sling or prolapse mesh operation goes wrong.
Since reporter Kath Sansom launched Sling The Mesh she has spoken on the phone or via email to 80 women who have been suffering, some since 2002, not realising the pain was related to their mesh.
More than 630 have joined the Facebook site which launched six weeks ago.
As more women ask their GP to be referred to specialists for removal the wait time is likely to get longer.
In anticipation of the increase, a campaigner contacted Professor Keith Willett, director for acute episodes of care at NHS England and chairman of the English Group Working Party, into the serious concerns of transvaginal mesh asking him to provide names of surgeons who could help.
The query was also passed to the chairman of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, Roland Morley, who gave the names of four surgeons.
He said they were working on a comprehensive list but that would not be available until at least April 2016.
None of the four recommended surgeons have removed 20 meshes a year which is the NHS guideline on how many operations must be performed in a year to be seen as proficient.
One of the recommended surgeons, Professor Chapple of Sheffield told the campaigner: “I will not remove all of your mesh because that would do more harm than good.”
Another, Jeremy Ockrim of London said: “I have removed five meshes this year and have another three cases pending at present. These numbers have been fairly consistent over the last years although they may change in the future.”
Tamsin Greenwell of London said: “I am able to and have taken out TVT in their entirety but have not removed a TVTO type tape in its entirety as this would be extremely destructive and I have not seen a lady as yet in whom our MDT felt this was indicated.”
Secretary for Neil Harris of Leeds said: “He does not do at least 20 of these procedures per year. It is highly unlikely that any urological surgeon would as the situation is not that common.”
The leading two surgeons in England who can successfully remove tape are Natalia Price and Sohier Elneil who remove around 400 a year between them.
To go private to speed up the wait costs around £11,000.
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Sling the Mesh: MP is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about future patient care for women
Jul 24, 2015 | Cambs Times
By Kath Sansom
MP Steve Barclay said he has been left “cautiously optimistic” after meeting one of the heads of the Government’s medicines watchdog body to talk about reporter Kath Sansom’s Sling The Mesh campaign.
After a 75 minute meeting with Professor Keith Willett, medical director of the MHRA, Mr Barclay said: “I’m pleased that Prof Willett agreed to meet with me and found his willingness to be open in his discussion both helpful and reassuring.
“It is clear that senior clinicians are aware of patients concerns, and having discussed this with Prof Willett, I am cautiously optimistic that changes will be made to reduce risks from operations and better protect patients.
“I stressed a number of points on behalf of my two constituents Kath Sansom and June Smith. These included whether patients receive sufficient information on risks prior to an implant, concerns over product regulation, questions over whether the complaints data reveals the full extent of medical complications, and also whether remediation, which is often complex where complications arise, is proceeding as it needs to.June Smith contacted MP Steve Barclay to ask him to do something about the TVT and TVTO mesh sling operation
“It’s clear that a considerable amount of work has been under taken over the last year. During that time the awareness of patient complications and concerns has increased significantly.
“I understand an interim report is due in September which will include data on patients who have experienced difficulty following implants. This will better inform the debate as to what changes are needed.
“I understand that these issues fall within the scope of the work undertaken by Prof Willett and am sure many of the families affected will keenly await the outcome. This will enable a more detailed and better informed debate in September on where we go from here.”
Kath said: “I am delighted at Mr Barclay’s positive meeting and hope that once the report is published he can meet Mr Willett again to discuss matters further.”
Across Europe discussions on the mesh sling device are snowballing and the operation is subject to a full report.
Leading the discussion is East Midlands MEP Glennis Willmott who said; “The EU is currently drafting new legislation on medical devices.
“Patients rightly expect that if a device has been authorised, then it is safe, and we need to ensure that their safety and well-being is an absolute priority.
“The rules need to be tightened up, especially for high risk devices, which should undergo thorough clinical investigations before being authorised. We should also put in place a strong system of post-market surveillance so that any unforeseen problems are identified early and patients and doctors immediately informed.
“The new law must be agreed with all 28 EU Member States and I hope we will be able to move forward with this soon so that we can get this new legislation in place to provide the strong protection that patients deserve.”
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Diverse competitors to take part in Whidbey Triathlon
Jul 25, 2015 | South Whidbey Record
By Evan Thomson
It’s the genuine vibes of the volunteers, fellow competitors, and spectators who take part in the Whidbey Triathlon that keep Useless Bay resident Bob Thome coming back year after year.
He is a week away from competing in the event for the 16th consecutive year.
The 60-year-old former Marine Corps pilot first competed in the triathlon on a “whim,” he said. His “old” girlfriend signed him up as a surprise in 2000. He’s loved it ever since.
“It was fun, the sense of community was so great here, and I was fairly new to the island,” Thome said. “The people were so nice and it just seemed like such a good time when I did it.”
South Whidbey Parks and Recreation director Doug Coutts felt the reason participants enjoy the race so much is in large part due to the volunteers who help make the triathlon happen, as well as the spectators who cheer the competitors on.
Coutts estimated a turnout of 315 to 320 participants this year, with 20 relay teams registered as of Thursday morning.
Among those running the relays are Langley residents Brian Atwood and his 9-year-old daughter Naomi. Atwood had to get a waiver from the Parks and Recreation District board members in order for Naomi to race.
The minimum age to compete is 16 years old.
“I’ve done the triathlon several times and I asked her if she would be interested in doing a relay with me and she said ‘yes,’ ” Atwood said.
Atwood will do the swim and the bike racing portions, while he and Naomi will run together to finish the triathlon.
“It’s just a great local race,” Atwood said. “We just enjoy racing here. These are all the roads we ride and run on. Its fun to get out and compete. More important than winning, participating with your kid is pretty neat.”
The level of competitiveness at the triathlon will vary with each participant who runs across the finish line.
There’s the serious, try-hard types who are there to win. There are those who take part on a whim, who don’t expect too little or too much from their performances.
Then there’s 65-year-old Patricia Buchanan, who cannot be distinguished anywhere in between. That’s because Buchanan may be one of the few competitors who is trying to recondition her mind not to be competitive.
Buchanan was once ranked fourth nationally in her age group for Nationals Olympic Distance Triathlon until a breast cancer diagnosis slowed her down in 2005. By the time she was cancer-free, she had endured a bilateral mastectomy, 28 chemotherapies, and 28 radiations.
Her trials were far from over, however. In July of 2011, Buchanan was competing in a triathlon in Mount Vernon when she was seized with a deep and powerful cramp in her left calf. It was later discovered that complications involving a synthetic mesh to correct a prolapsed vaginal canal, which had been implanted in 2006 while she was having a prophylactic hysterectomy and her ovaries removed, was causing Buchanan severe and debilitating pain. She had surgery to repair the complication in October of 2011.
The pain and frustration that came as a result of her mesh installation is why she is opposed to the method today.
“This is why I do everything I can regarding the mesh,” Buchanan said. “The doctors are installing them and saying that complications are rare. It’s just not true.”
Buchanan, who lived on Whidbey Island for over 20 years and currently lives in West Seattle, has spent the past three years recovering from her surgeries, the last of which was in August 2014. The Whidbey Triathlon will be her first attempt at a race following her surgeries, and her first time back to the event since 2011.
“I don’t even know what compelled me to compete this year,” Buchanan said. “Because I’m still alive, I don’t want all this mesh stuff to define me. I want to know in my mind that I can do it.”
Buchanan won’t be anywhere near the competitor she used to be, a fact she is still coming to terms with.
“I’m kind of embarrassed to think how I’ll do,” Buchanan said. “It’s very difficult for me to accept that I’m not who I was, physically or mentally, emotionally, — you’re just not, after all this. But I’m still here and that’s good.”
Coutts said the triathlon still needs more volunteers who can help cheer racers on, set up a water station, prep food for the finish line, and help break down the event at its conclusion.
Interested helpers can sign-up using VolunteerSpot at http://vols.pt/yCyVx2.
Racers may check in from 3-6 p.m. Friday and 7-9:15 a.m. Saturday in the Crow’s Nest above the concession stand at Community Park.
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