Tag Archives: blood

Thanks for nothing

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Medical devices are supposed to solve our medical ailments, not cause them.  What am I missing here?

However, the FDA announced last summer that it was concerned about problems caused by surgical mesh – a medical device implanted, usually in women, to repair a hernia or pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Problems can involve bleeding, infection, pain, and urinary problems.  Then, earlier this year, the FDA ordered makers of surgical mesh to more closely study the risks involved with their products.  As of today, Johnson & Johnson, one of several manufacturers, has stated it will no longer sell surgical mesh products.  (Recall that this is the same Johnson & Johnson who also made the now-recalled DePuy ASR hip implants.)

What does this mean to you:

Though surgical mesh has not been recalled, it has caused enough issues to raise serious concerns.  Keep in mind that complications following a surgery are not always “normal,” and may actually be related to a medical device with known problems.

We don’t know what we – I mean, you – are talking about

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Baby Boomers appear to be here to stay.  I mean, they even have their own Association now, so you know they’re going to stick around and ask for stuff.  Stuff like hip implants that don’t fail after being implanted, causing pain, swelling, and metal on metal friction to throw off chromium and cobalt ions in to their blood streams.  Some people!  For what it’s worth, the medical research surrounding metal ions is ongoing, but as far as I know, no doctors have started prescribing chromium and cobalt ions to be taken once daily by mouth along with your Flintstones.

Doh!

But, the maker of many hip implants, a company called DePuy (pronounced “Dapew”) who is owned by Johnson & Johnson, knew for quite a while that its ASR hip implants were failing.  It was recently learned that, rather than tell the FDA of the product’s defects, or make a change to its design, or immediately recall the device, DePuy opted merely to not make any more ASR hips, but continue to sell the problematic hips it had remaining.

What does this meant to you:

Many times, patients may not know the brand or model of the particular implant they have.  That is, a person may have a DePuy ASR and not even know it.  If you’re having problems, its important to check with your doctor to see which type you have, and if need be, discuss it with a lawyer.