Under consideration PE1865: Suspend all surgical mesh and fixation devices
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to suspend the use of all surgical mesh and fixation devices while—
*a review of all surgical procedures which use polyester, polypropylene or titanium is carried out; and
*guidelines for the surgical use of mesh are established.
Previous action taken
I have been in contact with my MSP, and Scottish Government officials who advised that the concerns of hernia and other mesh survivors would be heard along with those of TVT and pelvic mesh survivors. They never were.
I also met with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport.
Background information
Information on polypropylene and polyester mesh and stitches clearly states the potential complications of their use and titanium protacks carry a cancer warning.
We understand mesh must be used in life or death situations, but we want to ensure that—
*mesh is only used when essential;
*patients have alternatives to mesh; and
*mesh is only used with the fully informed consent of the patient.
We want the use of mesh devices and stitches to be suspended while a review of all surgical procedures which implant any form of polyester, polypropylene or titanium products – for example hernia mesh, rectomesh, mesh used in hysterectomies – is carried out and guidelines for the use of surgical mesh are established.
We are also calling for suspension of the use of titanium protacks that are used with hernia mesh, as these carry a cancer warning.
While we recognise and support women with TVT or pelvic mesh implants, the mesh that we are talking about is not the same. It is put into the body differently and used for different purposes.
This petition is now under consideration by the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
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