Updated guidance on use of surgical mesh ‘to be delayed’

UPDATED guidance on the use of mesh in surgical procedures is set to be delayed, it has been revealed.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sent an email to campaign group Sling the Mesh to confirm it has pushed back its guidelines on surgical mesh from February 2019 to April 2019.

Plastic meshes, which are typically made of polypropylene, support organs such as the vagina, uterus, bowel, bladder or urethra.

They are most commonly used by surgeons to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence in women, conditions that can commonly occur after childbirth.

But some women have reported severe and constant abdominal and vaginal pain following the surgery, while others have experienced incontinence, infections and bleeding.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surgical Mesh Implants has been calling for better support for mesh-injured women, together with Sling the Mesh.

It is calling for the suspension of mesh and a full investigation into its use through a retrospective and prospective audit of mesh surgery.

Commenting on the delay, chairman of the APPG, Owen Smith MP, said: “I’m deeply disappointed to learn that NICE have delayed the publishing of their guidelines on mesh despite repeated calls from the APPG to update them as a matter of urgency. As we’ve seen from the recent NHS audit into mesh, the government’s own statistics vastly underestimate the problems caused by mesh.

“It is imperative that NICE brings forward their guidelines on mesh and suspends its use until we have a proper understanding of the risks of mesh.”