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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/09/vaginal-mesh-should-be-offered-last-resort-health-officials-say
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| Vaginal mesh should be offered as last resort, health officials say | Vaginal mesh should be offered as last resort, health officials say |
| (4 months later) | |
| Vaginal mesh should be offered to female patients as one of the last resorts, health service officials have said. | Vaginal mesh should be offered to female patients as one of the last resorts, health service officials have said. |
| Draft guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) say women who with stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, conditions that commonly occur after childbirth, should instead be offered a range of non-surgical treatments, such as lifestyle interventions, physical therapies and medications. | Draft guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) say women who with stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, conditions that commonly occur after childbirth, should instead be offered a range of non-surgical treatments, such as lifestyle interventions, physical therapies and medications. |
| Surgical interventions using mesh should be considered when non-surgical options have failed or are not possible, Nice said. | Surgical interventions using mesh should be considered when non-surgical options have failed or are not possible, Nice said. |
| A recent scandal on vaginal mesh procedures revealed that thousands of women have complained of being left in constant pain after having the implants. An investigation by the Guardian found one in 15 women given a mesh implant later required surgery to have it removed, with some experiencing life-altering complications. | A recent scandal on vaginal mesh procedures revealed that thousands of women have complained of being left in constant pain after having the implants. An investigation by the Guardian found one in 15 women given a mesh implant later required surgery to have it removed, with some experiencing life-altering complications. |
| In July, the government paused the use of some vaginal mesh procedures in NHS hospitals in England until certain conditions were met, including for all operations and any complications to be registered on a national database and for surgery to be performed by specialist surgeons based at specialist centres. | In July, the government paused the use of some vaginal mesh procedures in NHS hospitals in England until certain conditions were met, including for all operations and any complications to be registered on a national database and for surgery to be performed by specialist surgeons based at specialist centres. |
| Nice’s draft guidelines call for a national database to be set up to record all procedures involving the use of surgical mesh and tape in operations for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. When surgical mesh is offered as a treatment, women must be fully informed of the risks, Nice has said. | Nice’s draft guidelines call for a national database to be set up to record all procedures involving the use of surgical mesh and tape in operations for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. When surgical mesh is offered as a treatment, women must be fully informed of the risks, Nice has said. |
| Sir Andrew Dillon, the chief executive of Nice, said: “Where surgical mesh/tape could be an option, there is almost always another intervention recommended in our guideline … If a surgeon cannot provide a full range of choices to the patient, then she should be referred to one who can.” | Sir Andrew Dillon, the chief executive of Nice, said: “Where surgical mesh/tape could be an option, there is almost always another intervention recommended in our guideline … If a surgeon cannot provide a full range of choices to the patient, then she should be referred to one who can.” |
| Commenting on the draft guidelines, Kath Sansom, the founder of the campaign group Sling the Mesh, said: “These draft guidelines are to be welcomed but they do not go far enough. Our ideal scenario is to see pelvic mesh stopped – full stop. The risks are too great. It is totally unacceptable that women come out of a ‘simple little operation’ with shattered lives.” | Commenting on the draft guidelines, Kath Sansom, the founder of the campaign group Sling the Mesh, said: “These draft guidelines are to be welcomed but they do not go far enough. Our ideal scenario is to see pelvic mesh stopped – full stop. The risks are too great. It is totally unacceptable that women come out of a ‘simple little operation’ with shattered lives.” |
| Carl Heneghan, a professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University who previously called for a public inquiry into the use of mesh, said: “We’ve been far too quick to resort to surgery as a first choice when it should have been a last chance and as a consequence many women have suffered harm.” Heneghan described the guidelines as “step in the right direction”. | Carl Heneghan, a professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University who previously called for a public inquiry into the use of mesh, said: “We’ve been far too quick to resort to surgery as a first choice when it should have been a last chance and as a consequence many women have suffered harm.” Heneghan described the guidelines as “step in the right direction”. |
| In a joint statement, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Society of Urogynaecology said: “It is very important that women explore the range of non-surgical treatments, such as lifestyle interventions, physical therapies and medications, before considering surgical treatments. It is also crucial that women who need surgical procedures for these often distressing and debilitating conditions have access to these treatments.” | In a joint statement, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Society of Urogynaecology said: “It is very important that women explore the range of non-surgical treatments, such as lifestyle interventions, physical therapies and medications, before considering surgical treatments. It is also crucial that women who need surgical procedures for these often distressing and debilitating conditions have access to these treatments.” |
| Owen Smith, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on surgical mesh implants, said: “While I am pleased that Nice is now taking action to advise against mesh as a first-line treatment, this announcement is well overdue. I have called on them to get on and urgently publish these guidelines for the last two years and I’m glad they have finally listened.” | Owen Smith, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on surgical mesh implants, said: “While I am pleased that Nice is now taking action to advise against mesh as a first-line treatment, this announcement is well overdue. I have called on them to get on and urgently publish these guidelines for the last two years and I’m glad they have finally listened.” |
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| The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) | The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) |
| NHS | NHS |
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