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Ethicon Media Monitoring 9/20/2018
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Ban on use of mesh hailed as a “decisive step”
Sep 19, 2018 | Barrhead News
The Scottish Government was urged to launch an inquiry after the death of 75-year-old Eileen Baxter last month was linked to the controversial implants. -
Why Do Surgical Mesh Products Fail?
Sep 19, 2018 | MedicalResearch.com (Blog)
The study was motivated by the emerging clinical problem of the failure of surgical mesh products used for transvaginal operations. Increasing numbers of women are experiencing the failure of mesh used to treated vaginal prolapse, urinary incontinence and other pelvic organ conditions. -
Model claims 'horrible' doctors at Hull hospital 'accused her of lying about agonising pain'
Sep 19, 2018 | Hull Daily Mail
By Patrick Daly
A Hull hair model claims she had to fork out £2,500 to find out why she was in chronic pain after NHS doctors repeatedly told her there was “not an issue”.
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Ban on use of mesh hailed as a “decisive step”
Sep 19, 2018 | Barrhead News
The Scottish Government was urged to launch an inquiry after the death of 75-year-old Eileen Baxter last month was linked to the controversial implants.
Her death came despite a suspension put in place four years ago, requiring the implants only be used in exceptional circumstances, and despite years of warnings from campaigners calling for an outright ban.
Among the most vocal critics have been Elaine Holmes, from Newton Mearns, and Olive McIlroy, from Renfrew, who both suffered severe complications following mesh implant surgery.
Last week, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told the Scottish Parliament: “I have today asked the chief medical officer to instruct health boards to immediately halt the use of transvaginal mesh altogether in cases of both pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, pending the implementation of a new restricted use protocol that will ensure procedures are carried out only in the most exceptional circumstances and subject to a robust process of approval and fully informed consent.
“The instruction to halt is, I believe, a proportionate measure whilst a rigorous, high vigilance ‘restricted use protocol’ for any future practice is developed and put in place.”
Speaking in the parliamentary debate, Jackson Carlaw MSP, a long-time supporter of a ban, said: “It seems to me, and I hope to many others, to be a decisive step on a pathway to a different approach to the whole question of mesh.
“I hope that Elaine Holmes, Olive McIlroy and all the women who I hope are watching this afternoon can at least give one qualified cheer for the progress that it represents while recognising and paying tribute to Eileen Baxter and Michele McDougall, the women who have died – one directly and the other indirectly – as a result of this medical process.
“It is an unhappy coincidence that the process has been available since 2007, but I consider that a Government of any stripe would have embraced it.
“It is only in recent times that many have felt that, in the face of evidence, we have not been pursuing the path that is clear and singularly appropriate.”
http://www.barrheadnews.com/news/16888377.ban-on-use-of-mesh-hailed-as-a-decisive-step/
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Why Do Surgical Mesh Products Fail?
Sep 19, 2018 | MedicalResearch.com (Blog)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor David Taylor
Trinity Centre for Bioengineering
Trinity College Dublin
The University of Dublin, IrelandMedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The study was motivated by the emerging clinical problem of the failure of surgical mesh products used for transvaginal operations. Increasing numbers of women are experiencing the failure of mesh used to treated vaginal prolapse, urinary incontinence and other pelvic organ conditions.
I carried out a survey of all existing research, including medical case reports, meta studies of clinical outcomes and biomechanics research on the material, which is a knitted plastic mesh. A phenomenon known as “mesh erosion” causes damage to surrounding tissues and organs and can leave the person in severe and lasting pain.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
1.The clinical rates for mesh erosion are unacceptably high for organ prolapse operations (average 10%, rising to almost 30% in some studies).
2. Clinical rates for mesh erosion in urinary incontinence products are lower (2-3%) but the outcomes are equally severe.
3. Currently it is not understood how or why these products are failing. My biomechanics analysis suggests that the mesh material itself should not break unless it becomes degraded and weakened during its time in the body. There is some evidence for this degradation (perhaps caused by bacteria).
4. Poor surgical technique by some doctors may also be a factor.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Before agreeing to any type of surgery involving mesh, one should enquire carefully from the surgeon as to the failure rates for this particular product, the surgeon’s own personal success rates and the possible worst-case consequences resulting from failure of the product.
If you have experienced difficulties with transvaginal mesh products you should consider taking legal action.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: Further research is needed, especially the examination of fragments of mesh removed from affected patients, to determine the failure mechanisms.
https://medicalresearch.com/author-interviews/why-do-surgical-mesh-products-fail/44617/
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Model claims 'horrible' doctors at Hull hospital 'accused her of lying about agonising pain'
Sep 19, 2018 | Hull Daily Mail
By Patrick Daly
A Hull hair model claims she had to fork out £2,500 to find out why she was in chronic pain after NHS doctors repeatedly told her there was “not an issue”.
Kate Leyenda, 27, alleges she visited Hull NHS services and rang the NHS helpline “40 to 50” times between June and September 2017, explaining to her GP and A&E practitioners she had debilitating pain in her pelvis and upper legs.
It took paying to go privately to be diagnosed, with specialists at The Spire in Anlaby discovering she had endometriosis, a condition where the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body.
The diagnosis brought to an end to a summer of anguish in which the self-employed short hair model could not work for four months.
She has now accused A&E doctors at Hull Royal Infirmary of being “horrible” to her, telling her they could find nothing wrong and to stop returning.
“I found the treatment at Hull Royal Infirmary horrible, and the GP wasn’t great either,” said Miss Leyenda.
“The doctors at A&E kept saying, ‘there is not an issue, why do you keeping coming back?’. I didn’t know what to do.”
Endometriosis, while little known, is said to affect one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK. It can cause chronic pain, a lack of energy, make it harder to conceive or have sex, and even cause disability in the worst of cases.
Miss Leyenda says she has been diagnosed with stage four endometriosis - the worst of its type - and will need treatment for the rest of her life.
She had to turn down work for four months last summer, having previously starred in Wella and Schwarzkopf adverts, because of the crippling pain and had to rely on her parents for financial support.
After struggling for a diagnosis on the NHS, she paid £2,500 for a private laparoscopy at The Spire where doctors were able to diagnose her with endometriosis on October 17 last year.
The Spire referred her back to the NHS for follow-up treatment from endometriosis specialists at Castle Hill Hospital, one of 44 specialist units around the country.
Miss Leyenda’s condition was so severe that she had to take six months of hormone injections to bring on the symptoms of menopause early before she could be operated on in April.
Despite the operation taking place less than six months ago, she said she is already experiencing reoccurring pain.
“I had to have four months off work because I was literally going to A&E every day – I pretty much had 111 on speed dial at one stage,” said the west Hull resident.
“The doctors were doubtful and saying I was lying, basically. I had to pay to get the operation to get diagnosed. The NHS said they didn’t think I had [endometriosis] so they wouldn’t pay. They were saying it could be stress or anxiety.
“If I hadn’t paid for it and gone privately I might never have been diagnosed. The pain is already back so I will probably have to go for more treatment. It can feel like you are fighting a lost cause.”
The Miss England 2009 finalist is now looking to raise awareness of the condition, both in the city and nationally, with the help of her MP, Emma Hardy.
On average, it takes a woman seven-and-a-half years to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
Hull has a specialist nurse based at Castle Hill but Miss Leyenda, while praising the “fantastic” care given to her after diagnosis, said getting in contact could be difficult because the demand is high for the single nurse’s services.
She said: “I can’t believe it took so long [to get diagnosed]. For me it didn’t take as long as for some people, so I’m lucky, but how can doctors say nothing is wrong with you when there is?
“I had support from my mum and dad while I was off work but even they were questioning it because the doctors were saying nothing was wrong with me. I want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Supported by Labour’s Ms Hardy, Miss Leyenda – known as Kate Palmer professionally – has arranged a “Pink Pants” event at Bean and Nothingness café in Whitefriargate on Monday, October 1, from 10am to 11.30am.
The pair want to use it as a chance for women to learn more about endometriosis, its symptoms and “ending the shame” of talking about women’s health issues.
Ms Hardy said Miss Leyenda’s story “chimed” with her after campaigning against the use of vaginal mesh, an implant that left some women in constant pain and even disabled.
“It feels like women have to battle when it comes to their health,” said the Hull West and Hessle MP.
“Like with mesh, there hasn’t been enough research into endometriosis. There are only 44 specialist centres in the UK and there is only one specialist nurse in the Humber.
"If you think that one in 10 women have some form of endometriosis, then this is a huge problem affecting so many women. This is a chronic condition to live with. There should be help available to support people who live with it.”
The city MP said she would be seeking a meeting with education secretary Damian Hinds to urge him to include menstrual health as part of the curriculum in primary schools, so prepubescent girls can be taught about “what a normal period is”.
The Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill hospitals, said it was “unable to comment on individual cases because of strict rules governing patient confidentiality”.
But consultant gynaecologist Kevin Phillips, a nationally-recognised specialist in endometriosis at the trust, accepted women often faced delays of between five to seven years before diagnosis.
Mr Phillips said: “Endometriosis can be a complex, debilitating condition which is not easy to treat. This is recognised nationally and internationally.
“Specialists are trying hard, with the help of charities, to get all medical professionals to recognise the possibility of this diagnosis at the earliest possible stage.
“Once a woman is referred to a gynaecologist, the diagnostic time is actually quite short but getting referred to a specialist in the first place can be difficult because of the complexity of the condition.”
As a specialist endometriosis centre, Castle Hill Hospital treats women from all over Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
To maintain its status as a specialist centre, the trust employs a dedicated endometriosis specialist nurse and has dedicated surgeons to carry out the “complex” procedures.
Mr Phillips said: “Once women are diagnosed with endometriosis, we can offer them the best treatment possible because we know this is a condition which impacts very severely on a woman’s life.”
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/model-says-horrible-doctors-hull-2022557
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