Surgical Mesh Implants
Debate between Emma Hardy and Simon Hoare(6 years, 7 months ago)
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Emma Hardy
I absolutely and completely agree. One consultant has written to explain the problems with mesh removal, stating:
“Once stuck the mesh is never fully removed and failure of implanting means that mesh will fuse, erode, stick and adhere to organs, nerves and blood vessels—creating life long…injuries.”
She argues that patients were never clearly told of the risks of mesh fused to organs. She stated further that the
“mesh weave that is stuck will become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria”,
and unless it is completely removed, the patient will remain continually infected and fatigued forever.
Simon Hoare (North Dorset) (Con)
I apologise, Mr Owen, for arriving a little late. I know that the hon. Lady is talking about consultant surgeons, but does she agree with my constituent, Karen, who has corresponded with me to say that there is also a lack of awareness among the general practice community? The procedures are taking place and are deemed to be a success, but these other problems then present themselves and GPs are just not aware of the causal link and how to diagnose it.
Emma Hardy
Absolutely; I will talk about that later. One of the women who wrote to me this week explained that her surgeon was worried about trying to remove a small piece of mesh from the heart of her vital organs, near her bowel and bladder, which he could not actually see by visual examination, ultrasound or X-ray. She explained that, since having the mesh fitted five and a half years ago, it has prevented her body from healing, causing ongoing problems ever since.
This is not an effort to scaremonger. For most, the surgery is successful, but we have estimates from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency that about 1% to 3% of women suffer complications. A recent report in the scientific journal Nature showed evidence of about 10% of women suffering complications after surgery, and another research study estimates that the figure could be 15% to 20% or even higher.