Preview Newsletter
Ethicon Media Monitoring 3/20/2019
-
One in 20 women injured in the vaginal mesh scandal have attempted suicide as they battle severe pain, depression and recurrent infections as a result of the controversial implant
Mar 19, 2019 | Daily Mail
By Alexandra Thompson
One in 20 women caught up in the vaginal mesh scandal have attempted suicide, research suggests. -
Toughen up guidelines or the mesh scandal will repeat itself, warn campaigners, whose survey shows one in 20 women have attempted suicide
Mar 18, 2019 | Cambs Times
By Kath Sansom
The survey shows that one in 20 have tried to take their life and one in 20 self harm on a regular basis. -
What works best for women struggling with a leaky bladder?
Mar 19, 2019 | HealthDay (In Medical Xpress)
By Amy Norton
For women who need relief from bladder control problems, behavioral therapies are a better bet than medication, a new research review finds.
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
Online Sources
-
Mar 19, 2019 | Daily Mail
By Alexandra Thompson
One in 20 women caught up in the vaginal mesh scandal have attempted suicide, research suggests.
Campaigners surveyed around 650 women who have the controversial implant, once widely used to treat prolapse or urinary incontinence.
They found five per cent of women with vaginal mesh are in such severe pain they have tried to take their own life or self-harm regularly.
A third of mothers with mesh complications - such as recurrent urinary infections, pain or fatigue - rely on their children to care for them after many have been left wheelchair-bound and unable to work.
Four in five women with a mesh have developed depression and anxiety as a result of the procedure, while nearly half battle suicidal thoughts, the survey also revealed.
The survey was carried out by the 6,800-strong campaign group Sling The Mesh, which lobbies for parliament to completely ban the controversial implant.
Campaigner Jackie Harvey told Cambs Times: 'These results show that mesh implant complications are severe, life changing, and impact women and their families.
'Nobody should go for an operation that is supposed to help yet come out so badly harmed they no longer want to live.'
Tfter asking 653 women with vaginal-mesh complications how it has affected their lives, results further revealed around 95 per cent of those with complications no longer trust the surgeon behind their procedure to give them the best advice.
And a staggering nine in ten have lost all faith in the medical profession as a whole.
Nine in ten also claim their doctor did not explain the implant involved having a piece of plastic permanently placed in their bodies.
And 98 per cent allege they were not told about alternative solutions to their prolapse or incontinence, such as physiotherapy.
As a result of the implant, four in five of the respondents claim they experience severe pain every day and one in five suffer urinary infections so frequently they are becoming antibiotic resistant.
Journalist and Sling The Mesh founder Kath Sansom told MailOnline: 'This survey is deeply upsetting as it makes it very clear how mesh devastates the lives of women and those close to them.
'Nobody should go for an operation with risks that are so appalling that they end up suicidal.
'Every day women post heartbreaking messages to the support group about how their marriages are breaking down or how their children are upset watching them become a shadow of their former selves.
'Many women turn to strong pain medication, which wipe them out or others turn to alcohol to cope with their pain.'
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) is due to release new guidelines on how to treat women suffering incontinence or prolapse in two weeks.
'Mesh is destroying family life,' Ms Sansom said.
'It is also costing the Government thousands in healthcare costs to treat the women affected as well as putting a huge burden on an already over stretched benefits system for women who have had to give up work
'If NICE do not toughen up their new guidelines in two weeks time this scandal will carry on like Groundhog Day.'
Vaginal mesh - made of brittle plastic that can curl, twist and cut through tissue - has been branded the 'biggest medical scandal since thalidomide'.
Campaigners have fought for years for officials to put an end to vaginal mesh, with the most common implant - transvaginal tape (TVT) - being widely used across Europe and the US since the early 2000s.
A recent BMJ investigation reported there was scant evidence in favour of mesh despite its rapid uptake, as well as widespread conflicts of interests among surgeons and doctors.
And an NHS audit delving into the effects of mesh - released in April last year - shone a light onto the true scale of disaster.
The likelihood of a woman suffering complications from mesh were shown to be around the 45 per cent mark.
cross the world, mesh manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson face claims for compensation from women who allege they were not told about the complications.
In a victory for campaigners, NICE ruled against the use of vaginal mesh as a treatment for pelvic organ prolapse in 2017.
Following this, the Government suspended the use of some mesh procedures in England until certain conditions are met.
And NICE announced surgical interventions using mesh or tape should only be considered when non-surgical options have failed or are impossible.
Owen Smith, MP and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Surgical Mesh Implants, called for the UK Government to follow Australia's example and issue a national apology to women damaged by pelvic mesh implants.
All forms of pelvic mesh are already banned in New Zealand after a landmark move in December and a similar move against mesh for prolapse has been made in Australia.
Mr Smith also called for radical reform of the regulatory system for medical devices in the UK in the light of recent scandals involving surgical mesh, defective pacemakers, faulty artificial hips and PIP breast implants.
Anyone seeking help can call Samaritans 24/7 free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org.
WHAT ARE VAGINAL MESH IMPLANTS?
Vaginal mesh implants are devices used by surgeons to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence in women.
Usually made from synthetic polypropylene, a type of plastic, the implants are intended to repair damaged or weakened tissue in the vagina wall.
Other fabrics include polyester, human tissue and absorbable synthetic materials.
Some women report severe and constant abdominal and vaginal pain after the surgery. In some, the pain is so severe they are unable to have sex.
Infections, bleeding and even organ erosion has also been reported.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MESH?
Mini-sling: This implant is embedded with a metallic inserter. It sits close to the mid-section of a woman's urethra. The use of an inserter is thought to lower the risk of cutting during the procedure.
TVT sling: Such a sling is held in place by the patient's body. It is inserted with a plastic tape by cutting the vagina and making two incisions in the abdomen. The mesh sits beneath the urethra.
TVTO sling: Inserted through the groin and sits under the urethra. This sling was intended to prevent bladder perforation.
TOT sling: Involves forming a 'hammock' of fibrous tissue in the urethra. Surgeons often claim this form of implant gives them the most control during implantation.
Ventral mesh rectopexy: Releases the rectum from the back of the vagina or bladder. A mesh is then fitted to the back of the rectum to prevent prolapse.
HOW MANY WOMEN SUFFER?
According to the NHS and MHRA, the risk of vaginal mesh pain after an implant is between one and three per cent.
But a study by Case Western Reserve University found that up to 42 per cent of patients experience complications.
Of which, 77 per cent report severe pain and 30 per cent claim to have a lost or reduced sex life.
Urinary infections have been reported in around 22 per cent of cases, while bladder perforation occurs in up to 31 per cent of incidences.
Critics of the implants say trials confirming their supposed safety have been small or conducted in animals, who are unable to describe pain or a loss of sex life.
Kath Samson, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said surgeons often refuse to accept vaginal mesh implants are causing pain.
She warned that they are not obligated to report such complications anyway, and as a result, less than 40 per cent of surgeons do.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6825407/One-20-women-injured-vaginal-mesh-scandal-attempted-suicide.html
-
Mar 18, 2019 | Cambs Times
By Kath Sansom
The survey shows that one in 20 have tried to take their life and one in 20 self harm on a regular basis.
Jackie Harvey, of Sling The Mesh, which conducted the survey, said: “These results show that mesh implant complications are severe, life changing and impact women and their families.
“Nobody should go for an operation that is supposed to help yet come out so badly harmed they no longer want to live.”
Around 95 per cent of women no longer trust their implanting surgeon to give the best advice, the survey shows, while nine out of ten no longer trust the medical profession in general.
A total of 653 people took part in the survey to reveal their pain from a mesh implant, to treat incontinence or prolapse, is so bad that almost eight out of ten struggle with depression and anxiety.
A third suffer panic attacks.
The results come two weeks before a panel of experts from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, NICE, release new guidelines on how to treat women suffering incontinence and prolapse.
Jackie said: “If the new NICE guidelines are not tough enough then the mesh scandal will carry on like revolving door medicine, where women keep going in and out of hospital or GP surgeries looking for a fix.
“Mesh problems are costing the Government a fortune.”
The survey shows that nine out of ten women were not told they were having a piece of plastic permanently implanted into their bodies and 98 per cent were not given information about the alternatives, like traditional non mesh surgery or physiotherapy.
One in five women suffer urinary infections so often they are becoming antibiotic resistant, while eight out of ten suffer high pain levels on a daily basis.
One in six women (15.6 per cent) had their operation privately, yet the private sector has no record of operation outcomes, which means mesh risk figures quoted by the Government are lower than the true scale of suffering.
Jackie said: “There is a huge black hole in the statistics.”
• The survey also captured the suffering of 47 women and 22 men with hernia mesh.
https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/nice-must-toughen-up-mesh-guidelines-says-sling-the-mesh-1-5941887
-
What works best for women struggling with a leaky bladder?
Mar 19, 2019 | HealthDay (In Medical Xpress)
By Amy Norton
For women who need relief from bladder control problems, behavioral therapies are a better bet than medication, a new research review finds.
In an analysis of 84 clinical trials, researchers found that overall, women were better off with behavioral approaches to easing urinary incontinence than relying on medication.
Study patients were over five times more likely to see their symptoms improve with behavioral therapy, compared with no treatment.
Medication also helped, but not as much. Women treated with drugs alone were twice as likely to improve, compared to doing nothing.
"I think women with urinary incontinence should be encouraged to seek treatment," said senior researcher Dr. Peter Jeppson, a urogynecologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
"There are a variety of treatment options, almost all of which are better than doing nothing," Jeppson said.
The findings were published online March 18 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Almost half of women have problems with urine leakage at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. And while men develop urinary incontinence, too, it's more common among women, often arising during or after pregnancy, or after menopause.
The good news is, lifestyle changes often help, said Dr. Brian Stork. He's a urologist and assistant clinical professor at Michigan Medicine West Shore Urology in Muskegon, Mich.
Stork, who is also a spokesman for the American Urological Association, was not involved in the review.
"Most urologists will prescribe behavioral approaches first, and then medication if needed," he said.
Diet changes to cut out bladder irritants—like caffeine and alcohol—can be highly effective, according to Stork. So can exercises to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. For some patients, he said, weight loss improves incontinence by relieving pressure on the bladder.
"Bladder training," which involves scheduled bathroom trips, may also help, according to Dr. Anne Hardart, co-director of urogynecology at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York City.
There are two main forms of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence, which causes urine to leak when the bladder is under pressure—from coughing, laughing or lifting a heavy object, for example; and urge incontinence, which causes a sudden, uncontrollable need to urinate.
Lifestyle changes can help both kinds of incontinence, Hardart said, but exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles are particularly effective for the stress form.
In her experience, Hardart said, some women are able to perform the exercises on their own, with the help of written instructions. Other women benefit from physical therapy to help them "find" those deep muscles, she said.
"In general, we're going to start with behavioral approaches because they're risk-free," Hardart said. But that doesn't mean they're "easy," she added, since they take some commitment.
And some patients, such as those with mild dementia or the after-effects of a stroke, may not be able to learn and consistently perform exercises, Stork said. They may need medication.
For urge incontinence, medications that can calm an overactive bladder include oxybutynin (Ditropan XL), tolterodine (Detrol) and darifenacin (Enablex).
The review found that those drugs worked better than doing nothing, but behavioral tactics were generally more effective for easing urge incontinence.
There are also potential side effects, Jeppson's team pointed out, including dry mouth, nausea and fatigue.
In the United States, no medications are specifically approved for stress incontinence, Hardart said.
But, she added, there are non-drug options beyond exercise and lifestyle changes. Some women, for example, find relief from vaginal inserts that support the bladder.
If behavior changes and medication are not enough, Stork said, another option is neuromodulation, electrical stimulation of the nerves that control the bladder.
It can be done two ways, Hardart explained. A doctor can use a needle, inserted into the skin near the ankle, to deliver electrical impulses that reach the spinal nerves controlling the bladder. In more severe cases, a device can be implanted in the buttocks to stimulate sacral nerves that affect the bladder.
The review found that when neuromodulation was used as a third-line option, women were about four times more likely to see their symptoms improve, compared with no treatment.
The bottom line, according to Hardart, is that women don't have to live with incontinence.
"There are a lot of options to try, and many are non-invasive," she said.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-women-struggling-leaky-bladder.html
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
Online Sources
Add recipients
Suggested