Sling The Mesh in the news: 2017

LucieLoves blogs about surgical mesh and tells the story of her mum who suffered for 13 years thinking she was a mystery patient – until she read media coverage in 2017 and realised it was her mesh sling tape causing all her pain and problems.

The Independent picks its inspiring female groundbreakers of 2017 – and names Sling The Mesh founder Kath Sansom among them: “Sansom has used social media to act as a touchstone of comfort and advice for all the new ‘meshies’, as the community calls themselves.”

A damning YouTube video shows a conference where surgeons admit many consultants don’t report mesh problems, so no wonder figures are low and do not represent the true scale of suffering. It comes as a Sling The Mesh survey of 570 women shows how previously healthy women have been devastated by mesh surgery. Cambs Times

A grandmother tells how a mesh implant ruined her life. It sliced into Gill Hedley’s bowel and she had to have her rectum removed. She is now in chronic pain and has a permanent stoma. Newcastle Chronicle

Doctors are told to not use vaginal prolapse mesh. Campaigners say physiotherapy can ease things for 80% of women and for others a traditional natural tissue repair should be offered. ITV News

Angry campaigners blast National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, which do not go far enough in protecting patient safety for women. Daily Mail

Medical experts can rake in thousands making sure medical claims are not successful… The Globe and Mail

Nuffield Department of Health report on how inadequate medical regulations have failed patients.

NICE warns of serious concerns with vaginal mesh products. Metro

NICE has given a back door ban to vaginal prolapse mesh, but campaigners say it is not enough. They need to also halt mesh operations to treat incontinence – a Sling The Mesh survey shows a third of women suffering have had prolapse mesh, while two-thirds had the incontinence mesh tape slings. Sky News

NICE says vaginal prolapse mesh should not be used and other mesh should only be used in special implanting centres. Independent

Linda Cardozo, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, has six industry conflicts. International Continence Society

Surgeon Robert Bendavid said he doubts anyone will win a prize for introudcing polypropylene mesh for pelvic and hernia repairs. New Zealand Medical Journal

The failings in regulation of vaginal mesh and how to avoid future harm. BMJ

New Zealand becomes the first country to fully ban controversial vaginal mesh procedures. Independent

New Zealand is first country in world to ban all pelvic mesh. Sky News

New Zealand bans all pelvic mesh. Mesh Medical Device Network

BBC Panorama investigation finds that doctors were not fully informed of the risks of vaginal mesh implants:

• Mesh was only tested in 31 women and a few sheep before being implanted into women. Daily Mail
• Doctors are not warned of the risks of vaginal mesh implants. The Guardian
• For some women, the pain is so bad they don’t know if they can take it for another day. BBC News
• Women are not told of the risks of mesh implants, while behind the scenes are a series of conflicts of interest, improper trialling and a weak regulatory system. Independent

In response to a Sky News article that warned the regulation of vaginal mesh products was inadequate, a spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said “There was no evidence from a regulatory point of view that mesh devices were inherently unsafe.” – That is because it does not regulate medical devices properly! It relies on a 2012 study that uses short-term trials, misses out risk of loss of sex life, and has a yellow card system that no one has heard of for patients to report problems. It also takes note of data from the British Society of Urogynaecology, but fewer than 40% of surgeons report to it – SO NO WONDER STATS ARE LOW.

The emerging scandal that shows mesh is the new thalidomide. Professor Carl Heneghan warns that in Europe medical devices can be approved on equivalence grounds, with approval granted by centres across the European Union. But, unlike American applications, EU approvals are not public, making them “impossible to scrutinise”. Independent

Britain needs to move to a system that is more transparent, and puts patient safety first and profits on the back seat. Prof Carl Heneghan said: “Yes, this might mean some devices might not get on to the market, some people may have to wait for innovations, some companies may lose market share. We could, and should, though, lead the way by having regulatory systems that incentivise the production of high-quality evidence at the time of approval for implantable devices – those deemed to be the riskiest.” iNews

Regulation of medical devices in the UK is shameful. John Sharman speaks out as a husband of a woman injured by mesh implants to say how it affects a couple. Daily Mail

Women have been exposed to uneccessary harm from vaginal meshes because of loopholes in regulation. The Guardian

Angie Sykes used to be a karate-loving busy working mum. Now she has had to give up work and lives in daily pain on a cocktail of pain medication – all because she had an embarrassing problem after having babies. Hull Daily Mail

Campaigner Chrissy Brajcic dies from sepsis following a four-year battle with persistent infections caused by a vaginal mesh implant:

• Sky News reports on Chrissy’s death. Her husband Tony said: “It’s clear by all of your messages that Chrissy was truly a special woman and touched the lives of many people.”
• Marie Claire reports on Chrissy’s death – she died of sepsis four years after a TVT to fix mild stress incontinence and just days after her final Facebook video to raise awareness of the risk of mesh implants.
• Vice reported that Chrissy had a near death experience which strengthened her resolve to fight for awareness of surgical mesh. She died just a few weeks later from sepsis caused by her vaginal mesh implant.
• Independent opinion: mesh is a sexism issue. “Chrissy’s death was so completely and utterly avoidable. But the male reluctance to acknowledge a women’s pain and to misattribute female health issues is as ancient as medicine itself.”
• “To be on your deathbed at 42 is not right. We are all fighting. It is terrifying.” The Pool
• Chrissy said she would never stop fighting. Tragically a TVT implant to fix mild incontinence took her life. The Mirror
• Chrissy must not die in vain. She developed recurrent UTIs which are treated with antibiotics – but eventually she became resistant to the medication. Tragically, she contracted sepsis and died. Her problem probably could have been fixed with good pelvic floor physiotherapy. Independent
• Prominent mesh campaigner Chrissy Brajcic dies of sepsis after a TVT mesh implant. Daily Mail

Mum of three who had TVT mesh implant is in excrutiating daily pain and struggles to walk. Wales Online

Why men should be worried about the vaginal mesh implant scandal. Independent

Harriet Marsden reports that many women suffer in silence and how loss of sex life for a woman is not taken seriously, yet the consequences are great. Independent

Brave women fighting for justice. Former Wisbech Grammar School student Cesca Brindley, now a journalism undergraduate, writes on the vaginal mesh implant scandal. Wisbech Standard

Australian Health Consumers Magazine asks who will take responsibility for the vaginal mesh disaster. It focuses on the poor regulatory systems worldwide, which means medical devices get little checks before being released for patient use.

Campaigners say the NHS should be ashamed of itself as Australia bans two types of mesh used in hospitals across Britain. Cambs Times

The Therapeutic Goods Association in Australia ban one type of prolapse mesh and single incision mini slings to fix incontinence. Sky News

Surgeons need to go back to the future and relearn natural tissue fixes for incontinence and prolapse. ITV News

NICE recommends a ban on vaginal mesh operations:

• NICE to recommend a ban on controversial vaginal prolapse mesh. Jackie Doyle-Price said a public inquiry is not needed. Medical Plastics News
• Routine vaginal prolapse mesh operations should be stopped, says NICE. Evening Standard
• Women say it is an important first step – vaginally placed prolapse mesh is to be banned by NICE. The Irish Sun
• Campaigners have been fighting for 10 years, but no one took notice. Finally the truth is coming out. The Sun
• NICE recommends ban on vaginally placed prolapse mesh. Doctors tried to make us feel we were making a fuss over nothing. Daily Mail
• NICE must bring forward its guidelines into mesh to treat all incontinence and prolapse procedures. They are due out 2019 – more than a year away – which campaigners say is too long a wait. It needs to be expedited. The Guardian
• BBC report on the NICE vaginal prolapse mesh ban. Professor Carl Heneghan says: “Seven years I have been watching this emerge – it is absolutely farcical how bad it is. Either they’re burying their heads in the sand or they don’t know what they’re doing.”
• NICE set to ban vaginal mesh for prolapse. Risks are serious and are common, says Sling The Mesh. Cambs Times

Mesh implants need to be suspended while a retrospective audit is carried out. ITV News

Westminster think tank says surgical mesh is a global growing problem, but women are still not taken seriously. Cambs Times

MP Emma Hardy talks of how mesh implants were ruthlessly marketed as a quick cheap fix, but 10% of women are suffering complications. She said women cost the NHS a fortune and the refusal to commission a retrospective audit is short-sighted. The level of risks are unknown adding astronoimnomical cost to the public services. Parliament TV

HoldtheFrontPage reports on how Sling The Mesh becomes a hot topic for its virtual rally to 10 Downing Street.

Sling The Mesh goes global when it trends on Twitter with 5,300 Tweets in an hour. Cambs Times

Women count the cost of mesh. It costs the NHS a fortune in prescriptions alone. Long-term health care utilisation costs increase, but no one notices in the NHS because it is such a fragmented institution with everyone working in their own little boxes. Cambs Times

Women deserve an apoloy, says Tory MP, over the vaginal mesh implant controversy. Daily Mail

Woman wins the go-ahead for a High Court claim after a vaginal mesh implant left her with devastating injuries. Daily Mail

Minister blames doctors for adverse reactions to vaginal mesh – and she misleads women in saying NICE guidelines will be out 18 months earlier; they are still scheduled to be published by 2019. BMJ

Why the vaginal mesh scandal could be bigger than thalidomide. The Telegraph

Alyn and Deeside politicians, Mark Tami MP and Carl Sargeant AM, are disappointed in the Government’s failure to suspend vaginal mesh. Deeside News

Health minister rejects call for suspension of vaginal mesh implants. The Guardian

Government refuses to suspend controversial vaginal mesh implants. Independent

Women travel from Northern Ireland for Parliamentary debate into mesh implants. Belfast Telegraph

Helen McDonald breaks down as she tells how a mesh implant has left her a wreck and put her 44 year marriage under pressure. Evening Standard

Labour calls for public inquiry and mesh suspension. The Sun

Woman speaks anonymously to tell how the surgical implants have ruined her life. Campaigners call for urgent suspension. Plymouth Herald

Shadow health minister Jon Ashworth says thousands of women have been exposed to unacceptable risks from vaginal mesh. The Guardian

Government rejects call for vaginal mesh implants ban. BBC News

Hansard report of MP Emma Hardy’s debate in Westminster on October 18, 2017.

Sling The Mesh heads to Parliament – and it has been backed by the Labour Party, which is calling for a public inquiry and a suspension. Cambs Times

When mesh goes wrong, it impacts the whole family. Women suffering 24/7 pain, anxiety and depression. The Sun

If a car had this many faults it would be recalled: Tom Joyce, professor of orthopaedic engineering at Newcastle University, tells how mesh is the third medical device disaster in the past 10 years after metal hips and PIP breast implants. Cambs Times

Labour MPs to call for a public inquiry into mesh implants. Daily Mail

Labour calls for immediate end to use of vaginal mesh implants. The Guardian

MP Emma Hardy secures a debate in Parliament on the growing mesh controversy. The Guardian

One in 10 women have to go to hospital for mesh complications. Figure of suffering will be much higher as this doesn’t include women going back and forth to GPs or women treated in private hospitals. Wisbech Standard

In the US, a woman wins a $42 million payout; but in Scotland, the Government spends just £4,500 on a mesh review that doesn’t even look at mesh safety. It only looks at patient information leaflets, what to do if a woman has mesh complications and how to encourage surgeons to report mesh problems. The Sunday Post

Mesh takes women’s body shaming to a whole new level. Women are already embarrassed to be suffering incontinence or prolapse, then yet further embarrassed suffering mesh problems and are humiliated into silence – many for years. The Guardian

A hernia patient talks about how no tests show anything is wrong, yet the pain gets worse and painkillers get stronger. He didn’t even know mesh had been inserted. His life, his enjoyment, his hobbies – all gone.

This is the worst medical disaster of our lifetime. A rapid rise that was unjustified in terms of evidence. Waves of people were convinced this was a minimally invasive procedure. It is not properly tested before being inserted into patients. Average gap of five years before trials are carried out. Problems were noticed 20 years ago:

A landmark report shows 9.8% women suffer incontinence mesh complications in the UK. Nature

About 25 women have contacted a law firm as the mesh controversy builds in Eire. Even after “fairly gruesome” mesh removal, women have to learn to live a new normal. Forever. The Journal

In both UK and US, new devices can be approved for use straight away in a patient without any trials simply based on the fact it is substantially equivalent to something already being implanted. Worryingly, in the US, the watchdog body, the Food and Drug Administration, is trying to find a way to make this process even eaiser. Mesh Medical Device News

Johnson & Johnson’s “irresponsible” action over vaginal mesh – TVT Secur marketed for five years without trials. Johnson & Johnson knew it had higher failure rate than its other incontinence meshes. Sky News

The world watched Scotland hoping it would take a lead on looking into mesh safety – yet all women got was a whitewash report. BBC News

‘A global catastrophe’: former health secretary Alex Neil pleads for a global summit on the growing mesh scandal. The Sunday Post

Tom Joyce of Newcastle University explains how medical device regulation fails patient safety. Devices are passed on “substantial equivalence”, yet many are not substantially equivalent at all. The Conversation

One in three patients develop fibromyalgia after a mesh implant, patient support group warns. Cambs Times

Janie Jarman was told she was the only mesh patient suffering – until she found the Sling The Mesh group with almost 3,000 members. Dorset Echo

The day before a vaginal mesh implant, Julie Gilsennan ran 5km. Now, she struggles to walk far and is in constant pain. The Daily Mail launches its campaign to support Sling The Mesh. Daily Mail

Surgeons don’t report problems with medical devices because they don’t see the point. Which, of course is a patient safety disaster. Without audit, how can governments and regulatory authorities know how a device is performing? BMJ Quality & Safety

Mother-of-two Lesley Elder opens her heart about her daily battle with barbaric pain that is so bad she has contemplated suicide. The Mecidines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) still says the benefits outeweigh the risks. Bournemouth Echo

“Before the advent of mesh kits, there was little commercial interest in gynaecology surgery aside from the sale of sutures or catheters, but now there are operation-specific kits, huge profits are on the table,” says surgeon Lewis Wall. “Almost everything you need to operate – except good clinical judgement and technical skill – is right there, fresh out of the box.” Cambs Times

Women left in agony from vaginal mesh implants – even after they’re removed. Evening Standard

Louise Donovan looks at what a vaginal mesh implant is and why is it causing so many health problems for women. Elle

At least 10 women each day are approaching lawyers demanding compensation for the life-changing damage caused to their bodies by controversial vaginal mesh. Daily Mail

One in 15 women need their vaginal mesh device removing owing to chronic pain or sexual problems. However Dr Ismail, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician said: “If they are happy and are continent and are able to control urination, they’ve had a successful operation and that is fantastic news – 90% of people are like that.” Huffington Post – So let us ask: what about the 10% of women with problems. In addition all he is talking about is effective treatment option – yes mesh often works – but leaves behind a trail of disaster much bigger than the urine leaking or prolapse problem.

One in 15 women have vaginal devices removed. Medical Plastics News

French gynaecologist says he wold not let his wife have a vaginal mesh implant. Daily Mail

The Guardian opinion: An NHS review last month acknowledged that some women have suffered severe and life-altering complications, and called for patients to be fully informed of the benefits and risks of mesh. But it concluded that the use of the implants was safe. This would be more convincing if it did not also call for more data – apparently oblivious to the evidence in its own records. The unearthed figures tell a more complex story, and so do the patients. Risk is 1 in 15 need mesh removal.

Lisa Woodrow was told mesh implants to fix incontinence and prolapse would make her a new woman. They did – she lost her job, her home and her partner, and spent 18 months in a wheelchair. The Sun

Janette Nelson is pushed to the brink of suicide because of the excrutiating pain of a mesh implant. Her children help dress her and catheterise her so she can go to the toilet. Daily Mail

Carolyn Churchill was a chef in a relationship, and life was good. Then she had a vaginal mesh implant and it stripped her of all quality of life. Owen Smith is her MP, who now leads a vaginal mesh debate in Parliament. The Guardian

Australian court uncovers emails that show a surgeon discussion thread saying if women lose their sex life from vaginal mesh implants they can just do anal or oral instead. ABC News

Doctors get benefits for pushing vaginal mesh implants. Daily Mail

Figures show 1 in 15 women need a removal of their mesh implant after women suffer crippling pain and complications. The Guardian

“Watching my first mesh implant operation was like seeing a slow motion car crash in the pelvis.” Daily Mail

Vaginal mesh implants are leaving women psychologically and phsyically scarred. Net Doctor

Damning studies that show vaginal mesh risks are as high as 42% are ignored by NHS. Daily Mail

Woman left in wheelchair after vaginal mesh implant. BBC News

GPs are issued with information on what to do if a woman presents with mesh implant pain and complications. BBC News

‘Vaginal mesh surgery ruined my life and should be banned’. BBC News

Standing room only as families weep at hearing women’s stories of suffering during a highly charged meeting at Parliament.

In that meeting, a doctor calls for a public inquiry, an all-party group into mesh is launched and a full debate is promised in a day that heard about black holes in gathering data on the level of risk of mesh implants. Cambs Times

Senior doctors call for public inquiry into use of vaginal mesh surgery in UK. The Guardian

Med Tech Innovation News reports on the mesh implant scandal.

Mum tells how mesh implants gave her chronic pain and she went from healthy fit yoga teacher to agony overnight. St Albans Review

Mesh Medical Device Newsdesk in America reports on the parliamentary lobby. Former Fox News journalist Jane Akre asks: why does mainstream US media not cover the mesh issue?

Elsewhere in July…

The personal journey that brought journalist Kath Sansom to set up Sling The Mesh. “We keep telling our stories so people get it. Just like Sir Harry Evans, editor of the Sunday Times, did in the 60s and 70s over the Thalidomide scandal.” Sky News

Mesh was approved on the back of the grandmother sling called Protogen made by Boston Scientific – it was recalled within three years because of problems or erosion, dyspareunia and pain. Mostyn Perspectives

MP Owen Smith: ”This was an opportunity for the NHS to take a lead and recommend a pause in the use of mesh until we know precisely how many women have been adversely affected by the product. Instead, they appear content to allow mesh to be widely used despite growing, international concerns about its potential ill effects.” Medical Plastics News

Women furious at NHS England mesh report that ignored patients and didn’t look at the safety of mesh itself. Daily Mail

NHS England mesh report is a whitewash. Mesh Medical Device News

Doctor calls for public inquiry into the mesh scandal as MP Owen Smith pledges a full debate and launches an All Party Parliamentary Group into mesh implants. The Guardian

Cat Lee went from healthy and vibrant university lecturer to disabled in a mobility scooter. Daily Mail – how can they say the benefits outweigh the risks of this so called simple operation?

Sky News reports on the group action launched by women suffering from mesh implants.

Senior doctors call for public inquiry into mesh implants, saying it is as bad as the thalidomide scandal – except with mesh-injured women you cannot see their chronic pain. Daily Mail

Women left unable to have sex, suffering pain that never goes away and mentally traumatised from being maimed for life from a simple operation that was supposed to quickly fix an embarrassing women’s health issue. The Mirror

Johnson & Johnson allegedly played down the risks of a vaginal medical device that has caused debilitating and irreparable pain to thousands of women after giving birth, Australia’s federal court heard as a trial began involving 700 Australian patients against three of the pharmaceutical giant’s companies. The Guardian

MP Owen Smith calls for suspension of women’s mesh on Good Morning Ulster:

Research says surgeons are more likely to give women mesh implants because they do not have the skills to do the tried and tested, old-fashioned/traditional repairs known as Burch or autologous slings. International Urogynecology Journal

Woman loses her job, marriage and home – all because of a simple 20-minute operation. ITV News

One in 10 people will develop a hernia in their lifetime. Mesh may not be the super fix it is cracked up to be. Daily Mail

BBC2 Victoria Derbyshire Show covers hernia mesh and how it can cause crippling pain for patients. “It is like there is something inside me scratching at me from the insides. It’s so unpleasant and constant.”

The rise in mesh slings mean that traditional skills to fix incontinence and prolapse are being lost. A growing tide of concern is showing that the implants have been aggressively marketed in the past 20 years, which has left new surgeons not getting enough experience of alternative operations. A study carried out in three centres – Leicester, Newcastle and Galway in Ireland – said many surgeons choose mesh as they don’t have the skills to do anything else. Cambs Times

A lawyer who won $20 million for his client says we are facing “the greatest women’s health crisis of our generation”. BuzzFeed

One in three women could be suffering in silence with mesh implant problems in a women’s health scandal that has been called the biggest disaster of our time. Cambs Times

Find out which doctors have conflicts of interests.

Uro Today reports that “the future of surgical care depends on the research we do now. If we don’t address the current shortfalls, catastrophic problems – like falsified research outcomes, and bad-quality implants and surgical techniques – will destroy patients’ faith and make good techniques disappear”.

Some mesh problems don’t show up until seven years later, according to a survey by Sling The Mesh. Cambs Times

The BBC reports Scottish Parliament, where health secretary Shona Robison asks an expert to independently examine the independent review into the safety of mesh implants. Alison Britten, a professor of healthcare and medical law, will examine the final report and the process by which the report came to its conclusions.

The Victoria Derbyshire Show breaks the media taboo on covering this serious women’s issue, as hundreds of women say they are going to sue the NHS over mesh implants.

• Watch the clip from the episode, aired on April 18, 2017.
• The 10-11am slot on April 20, 2017.
• Kath Sansom takes on Mark Slack, of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, who insists mesh is safe and he would implant it in his wife:

Kath Sansom gets a round of applause for challenging a doctor over his defence of vaginal mesh implants, which have left hundreds in agony. pic.twitter.com/nOazRkivLy

— Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) April 18, 2017

• BBC investigates the mesh implant scandal. Hundreds to sue over mesh implants.
• The film clip shown during the programme, which exposes how men and women have suffered in silence for years:
  

Sky News reports that calls are growing for a controversial medical procedure, used to help cure stress incontinence and prolapse in women, to be suspended as medical professionals describe it as the biggest health scandal of our time. Campaigners say there’s been a cover-up by the UK regulatory body, the MHRA, which, they say, has attempted to divert attention away from recording adverse incidents.

The Times looks at mesh implants and how it has left some women unable to walk or have sex.

The Guardian reports that some women were left in so much pain they considered suicide.

The Independent reports how mesh has left women in severe pain and some permanently disabled.

The Metro reports that one in 11 women have problems with mesh implants.

Daily Mail reports how a young mum’s husband has become her carer after a mesh implant.

The Mirror tells how Carl Heneghan says mesh implants should be stopped until they have proper evidence to prove they are safe.

The Sun reports on “dodgy skin slicing” mesh implants – good old Sun. Because actually, they hit the nail on the head.

Pontypridd MP Owen Smith has called for an investigation into the use of the implant. He told the BBC: “I think there is a really good case for saying ‘suspend its usage’ until there is clarity about the scale of the problems we’re facing.” Wales Online

Elsewhere in April…

Women with mesh implants have been suffering for years. And it’s not the only time they have been ignored when it comes to healthcare. The New Statesman

It is clear to see that vaginal mesh implants are a cost-cutting exercise in women’s health, says Kath Sansom in an opinion article. The Guardian

NHS bosses and the watchdog that oversees medical devices tried to limit public exposure of the scandal over vaginal mesh implants that have harmed hundreds of women. The Guardian

NHS tries to dodge media attention over agonising vaginal mesh implants. Daily Mail

Medical device regulator tries to avoid media attention on mesh implants. The Mirror

Academic journal The Conversation says Pelvic floor training in pregnancy could help prevent the need for ‘barbaric’ vaginal mesh surgery.

A women’s operation using mesh implants is up to nine times riskier than warned about in patient safety leaflets in hospitals across England, according to new figures. Cambs Times

US lawyer Papantonio says big corporations are willing to trade your quality of life in return for big profits:

Scottish mesh campaigners feel betrayed by an “independent” review, which took almost three years to compile. They say a vital chapter of evidence was removed about risks of this day case surgery. A clinician, who resigned over the whitewash, said the chapter included a table giving the true risk of mesh implants. BBC News

Surgical mesh for women’s incontinence and prolapse and hernia is set to be reclassified as a high-risk device across Europe. Cambs Times

The true scale of the mesh implant disaster is not known amid figures that say the trocar hooks used to implant it can injure up to 40% of women. Cambs Times

Richard Lehman’s journal review in the BMJ covers mesh. Read his column

Ask for traditional repair as it will not have the high risks of mesh implants, says a new study. Cambs Times

A urogynaecologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida describes mesh issues and helps a patient who had signficant and painful symptoms following implant surgery: