 Vaginal Mesh Infographic Almost every woman who has ever been pregnant has prolapse condition, medical journals say. This disease, which results from the disintegration of the pelvic floor, is categorized into four different stages for identifying the pelvic organ prolapse treatment most appropriate to the patient. Doctors use either the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system or the Baden-Walker Halfway Scoring System as examination tools to analyze the prolapse stage the patient is experiencing. Conservative therapies and healthy lifestyle change work for the first two stages, but surgical treatment may be needed for stage three and four of the disease. The hymen, which is made out of thin tissues covering the vaginal entry, serves as a reference point in staging prolapse. Stage one is diagnosed if the prolapsed organ reach as far as one centimeter over the hymen. At this stage, most women do not manifest any symptoms. Even when they do, the signs are sometimes misunderstood as belonging to other conditions like constipation or urinary infections. In stage two prolapse, the bulk is observed to be less than one centimeter above or below the hymen. Some patients may feel discomfort on emptying their bowels, incontinence, and some reported pelvic heaviness. Strengthening the muscles and avoiding lifting heavy objects may help relieve some of the symptoms. Stage three is identified if the prolapse is more than one centimeter below the position of the hymen, and bulging outward from the vaginal opening. At this stage, surgical corrections may be necessary as symptoms affect the patient’s quality of life. Ordinary life activities will be more burdened and painful to most of the patients, depending on the organ that has prolapsed. Urinary stress incontinence is more likely to occur as well; and together with prolapse repair, surgical interventions may also be needed for incontinence problems. For stage four prolapse, the affected organ is completely exposed outside of the body through the vaginal exit. This condition requires immediate surgical attention. Delaying its repair may further expose the body to different sources of infections. Most patients with severe types of prolapse need to undergo more than one surgical treatment to completely correct the anatomical problems, and it takes an experienced gynecologist or urologist to effectively treat its symptoms. Nowadays the questions on the effectiveness of sling and mesh use are growing more and more aggressive. Women fighting for their health and supporters advocating women’s safety are working together to attain remedies for these problems. Because of this, the processing of vaginal mesh lawsuit has become more and more widespread in the United States. References: http://urology.iupui.edu/papers/female/BumpPOP-QDefinition.PDF http://www.medandlife.ro/medandlife498.html http://www.healthcommunities.com/vaginal-prolapse/symptoms.shtml Add Comment The Use of Synthetic Mesh in Surgery 02/13/2012
 Medical technology has improved across time. However, some stress urinary incontinence (SUI) patients seem to remain on the same page when it comes to treatment. The outcomes of the September 2011 FDA advisory committee meeting regarding the vaginal mesh, however, show that little improvement and innovations have been made in design. Medical practitioners have been using the laparoscopic Burch surgery as the standard repair for SUI for so many years. This procedure involves the realigning of the urethra and the neck of the bladder to their rightful places by stitching them permanently to the pelvic ligaments. At a later time, sling operation by use of the patient’s own tissues has been found out to be less associated with side effects. Because of this, the idea of using a synthetic mesh as support to the weakened tissues was recognized and adapted by many physicians. This has also caused the mesh industry to grow. Based on a study almost 10 years ago, more than 11 percent of women undergo surgery for SUI, and nearly 30 percent of them will be subjected to reconstructive operation. This necessitates the innovation of a more reliable and highly effective device. The artificial mesh for vaginal implantation was first used 20 years ago in Europe, and was then utilized by Americans after five years. Later, it was also practiced for reconstructing prolapsed organs of the pelvis. For these two conditions, more data is needed to improve the quality and durability of the mesh as it was observed that patients’ status deteriorate through time accompanied by mesh erosion and infection. Biomedical engineers and physicians hope for a new device that will last and provide patients with less side effects and better performance. Through advancing studies, the use of mesh has gradually improved and served patients who have hernia. These days, thinner mesh designs with bigger pores are being considered to promote good circulation to the area in which the device is implanted. Poor blood flow to the involved tissues causes cell death and scarring. The only problem with the latest surgical methods rests on its many complications. In comparison to the traditional colposuspension, the use of synthetic mesh may result to consequences that are hardly reversible. Presently, the implantation of synthetic mesh through vaginal incisions has gained popularity among surgeons and patients. Despite the increasing reports of complaints and filings of vaginal mesh lawsuit, mesh promoters are still marketing their products in the belief that more patients have benefited from it. References: http://www.laparoscopicburch.com/ http://www.healthcentral.com/incontinence/c/76594/143806/mesh-surgery http://stressurinaryincontinence.com/ Cause of TVM Injuries Still Unknown by FDA 01/31/2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in July 2011 an update on the safety and effectiveness of using surgical mesh for the transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This update has been given because the FDA had received an increase of complaints related to the subject, in fact over the last 3 years the FDA has received over 1,000 adverse event reports about mesh used in transvaginal surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Many of these complaints stem from problems such as pain, infection, mesh erosion (into vagina, bowel, and bladder), and recurrence of prolapse or incontinence. There have been other complaints which involved rare but serious intraoperative injuries such as bowel, bladder, or blood vessel perforation. Most of the patients who reported complaints stated that they needed medical or surgical intervention, and some required hospitalization. The FDA had also released a public statement with regards to the increase reports of transvaginal mesh injuries: “The FDA is issuing this update to inform you that serious complications associated with surgical mesh for transvaginal repair of POP are not rare. This is a change from what the FDA previously reported on Oct. 20, 2008. Furthermore, it is not clear that transvaginal POP repair with mesh is more effective than traditional non-mesh repair in all patients with POP and it may expose patients to greater risk. The FDA continues to evaluate the effects of using surgical mesh to repair SUI and will communicate these findings at a later date. And although the exact cause of these adverse events hasn’t been identified, they’re likely to be the result of multiple factors. Further investigation is needed.” The release also continues by stating: “The FDA continues to be concerned about this subject and will sponsor a meeting of the Obstetrics-Gynecology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal placement of mesh for POP and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) procedures.” Currently the FDA continues its investigation into the matter of what is actually causing the problems in these particular transvaginal repairs, however many people have begun to file transvaginal mesh lawsuits because of the injuries they have suffered. If you feel that you have been injured in any way because of your transvaginal mesh, consult with your doctor as soon as possible. References: http://www.fda-reports.com/device/transvaginal-mesh.html http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/TipsandArticlesonDeviceSafety/ucm169802.htm |
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