Safety Warnings Sent Out Against Bladder Slings

The bladder sling has been one of the most commonly used surgical devices by physicians to help alleviate the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) since the 1990’s.SUI pertains the unintenional loss of urine caused by physical activities such as laughing and sneezing, and it is rare in men. The reason for this, doctors say, is because the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body, is usually a lot smaller in women (2 inches) than men (10 inches). In addition, the stresses of pregnancy and childbirth, and even ageing, may be a factorto SUI. When the bladder sling operation goes well the patient’s life also enhances.

On the market there are several different types of bladder slings available to patients.Here are a few of the more common ones:

• Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) sling: One of the earliest and easiest procedures, it uses a polypropylene mesh tape for the sling under the urethra that is held in place by the patient’s body rather than stitches.

• Transobturator tape (TOT or TVT-O) sling: This tension-free surgery is less invasive than TVT because there is no need to blindly pass a large needle through the retropubic space when inserting the mesh tape. This procedure was invented in France and brought to the United States in 2002.

• Mini-sling: By eliminating the need for abdominal or groin incisions this type of procedure improves on the previously mentioned two.A metallic inserter and a vaginal incision are used to place the mesh tape. It is the newest technology, released in 2006.

Most of the time bladder slings are safe for many of their patients, however there are times when they can cause serious side effects. Earlier in 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety warning caused by the growing number of concerns about complications associated bladder slings and especially devices which insert mesh transvaginally. The warning says that “The FDA is alerting healthcare professionals about rare but serious complications associated with the surgical mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. The mesh is usually placed transvaginally using minimally invasive techniques.” Also said in the warning that the main reason for it’s issuance was to “Inform patients about the potential for serious complications and their effect on quality of life, including scarring and pain during sexual intercourse. Patients should also be informed that implantation of surgical mesh is permanent, and that some complications associated with the mesh may require additional surgery that may or may not correct the problem.”

Bladder slings are still the most widely used treatment for illnesses such as SUI, however patients should be wary of the serious side effects the product may carry. If you are thinking about using bladder slings for your condition consult with a doctor first.

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