Reasons Why the Bladder Sling Recall is Necessary

Law | By: J. Cassidy (31/01/12) Views: 37

A bladder sling is a device used to treat a condition called POP which stands for Pelvic Organ Prolapse and SUI which stands for Stress Urinary Incontinence.

A bladder sling is a device used to treat a condition called POP which stands for Pelvic Organ Prolapse and SUI which stands for Stress Urinary Incontinence. These conditions come about as a result of vaginal deliveries and hysterectomies. They are also common in women who are in the post-menopausal stage. Some of the common health problems associated with POP and SUI include urinary leakage, pelvic pressure, vaginal bulging, constipation and many more. To treat these problems, a number of devices like the sling were devised and used during surgical procedures. Instead of the bladder sling helping these women, it led to more suffering and in spite of all that, there has been no bladder sling recall directive offered by bodies like the FDA.

There are a number of reasons why bladder sling recall is necessary. For starters, the procedures involving the implantation of these devices, also known as vaginal mesh, to rectify the sagging of female organs brought about more suffering. Months after this procedure, patients reported experiencing many complications. The Food and Drug Agency conducted a research following the outcry of many women and in their findings, they warned people of the dangers of surgical procedure involving these devices but did not issue a bladder sling recall order. Despite all that, the side effects of the sling are many and cannot be ignored.

Some of the effects include vaginal tissue erosion, mesh extrusion, severe pain especially during intercourse, uncontrollable vaginal discharge, recurrence of the conditions that the procedure was meant to rectify in the first place, that is, SUI and POP. Others include vaginal scarring, infection, mesh shrinkage, inflammation and so on. Most patients have been forced to go for additional procedures in an effort to treat these complications.

Instead of issuing a bladder sling recall, the FDA in 2011 came up with recommendations for both the doctors and patients. Among the recommendations, doctors were urged to use procedures that did not involve the placement of the mesh and make sure that patients are made aware of all possible risks and perks of the procedure. For the patients, the body recommended that they ask their doctors to initiate a procedure involving the bladder sling after other options have been exhausted. Furthermore, those patients who have undergone the procedure should keep going for check-ups and notify their physicians in case of complications.

As much as this is the case, without a bladder sling recall directive, it means surgeons and some patients are still free to use these devices during procedures. Also, without a bladder sling recall directive, there is no guarantee that patients who are not aware of the effects of these devices are made aware of the risks. Additionally, the companies manufacturing these devices keep producing them seeing as there is no law stopping them from doing the same. In other words, without the bladder sling recall, these manufactures keep going about their daily business as if all is well while patients that have been fitted with these vaginal mesh equipments keep suffering. The only hope for these victims is the several lawsuits that have been brought against the manufactures of these devices.