This article at Common Dreams is ostensibly a discussion about hernia repair surgery, namely, an option to be treated more humanely and cheaply in Canada than in the U.S. The discussion turns to deeper criticisms of the American way of providing healthcare, however.
Too many general surgeons and hospitals have on average over 10 times the rate of recurrence, four times the rate of infection, and often use expensive mesh both to replace lack of surgical skill and to speed up the operation. Plus they charge much more before they quickly say “sayonara.”
The Shouldice [Hospital, outside of Toronto] procedure is described by hospital officials as a “natural tissue repair that combines the surgical technique with the body’s natural ability to heal,” and takes, on average, forty-five minutes to complete. Except in rare circumstances, “the technique does not use artificial prosthetic material such as mesh because mesh can introduce unnecessary complications such as infections or migration, dramatically increasing the cost of the operation. Shouldice does not use laparoscopic technology because of the potential intestinal punctures and bladder and blood vessel injuries, which may lead to infection and peritonitis.” Shouldice staff note that laparoscopic surgery also requires general anesthesia and hugely higher costs for disposable items per surgery than is the case at their hospital.
There are about one million abdominal wall hernia operations yearly in the U.S. Hospitals and general surgeons for the most part do not use the Shouldice Procedure. Still the deplorable “quick and dirty” that invites overuse of mesh – about 80 percent of the patients – has become a perverse incentive for higher billings in the United States. Superior talent is needed for the more natural procedure used by Shouldice.
As a two time recipient of Hernia Mesh I wish our FDA would finally admit that ALL Meshs’ are inherently bad for the Human body. In most cases the body “see’s” the Mesh as a foreign object similar to what happens when you get a splinter. Studies have shown that Mesh crumples, twists and shrinks after implant. That was the idea of having a plastic ring, as in the Kugel patch,to keep the Mesh from doing that. Unfortunately Mesh has the nasty habit of deteriorating, breaking apart and then migrating even if held in a ring. The FDA has thousands of complaints about Mesh. Many are disregarded because no “Product Material” was returned to the Manufacturer to be analyzed. Because no material was received “no conclusive determination” can be made and the case is closed. The are no procedures, requirements or mandates for Surgeons or Hospitals to send a Mesh to the Manufacturer if it had to be removed. In my case I was able to ask the woman who was in charge of that sort of event if she was aware of any Mesh removals because it went bad. She had been at the Hospital for 26 years and “Had never heard of such a thing”. My mesh, along with my right testicle, were removed at that Hospital. I know of 6 other men that had gone through the same procedure as I at that Hospital. Obviously the FDA does not feel it necessary, even with thousands of complaints and removals, to require Doctors and Hospitals to help the Manufacturers to discover why their product is causing so many injuries.The FDA also does not follow through after a complaint is made by talking to the Dr. or Hospital. The complainant must give the FDA all the pertinent Medical Records to substantiate their complaint including the Dr.’s and Hospitals address and phone number. Why then do they not contact them? They didn’t in my case even when I had talked to the FDA directly and faxed them the updated Dr. address and informed them that the Hospital had not moved recently. I was later told that they had gotten no response from either. I checked with the Hospital and was told they had never been contacted by the FDA.My case was closed. The FDA does not want to recall Mesh. There are too many products, manufacturers and too much money involved. When the FDA gets grants and perks from the Medical Device Manufacturers, its hard to bite the hand that feeds you. I truly believe that Surgical Mesh is the biggest medical blunder of all time and it continues to be used….on HUMAN GUINEA PIGS.
what was reason for removal of mesh, infection? why was the testicle removed? did the mesh cut off the blood flow? or did the surgeon make an error during surgery?