PIP Silicone Gel Breast Implants
Having assisted in the first national case of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implant removal following the international scandal, I have just written a case report for publication in the BJS Snapshots in Surgery. Watch this space...
The PIP breast implant scandal has affected an estimated 40,000 British women. The entrepreneur at the centre of the global storm, Jean-Claude Mas was apprehended with Claude Couty, the former Chief Executive of PIP, and the pair are in police custody following admissions that unapproved Silicone was used in the breast implants.
The Department of Health recommends removal or exchange of ruptured implants. For patients without symptoms or signs of rupture or leak, removal should be offered in cases where the Surgeon considers that the benefits outweigh the risks. The NHS will replace the implants if the original operation was done by the NHS.
Patients from the private sector who have been unable to secure help from their original provider will be eligible for help from the NHS. The government has offered implant removal but implants will not be replaced in these patients.
There is no link to cancer and there is no clear evidence of an increased risk of harm compared to other brands of breast implants. Nevertheless, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is collecting data based on explants in order to further inform the debate.
Watch this space...
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 22 January 2012
What's new in Plastic Surgery training?
The specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery is that branch of surgery concerned with the restoration of normal form and function. I prefer the term, 'Reconstructive' surgery, as it leans away from the mainstream trend of nip tucks, face lifts, and boob jobs, though these are justified.
It is a varied specialty involving adults and children, and encompassing a wide range of conditions affecting different parts of the body. Implicit in the wide ranging nature of the specialty is the requirement that a Consultant in Plastic Surgery demonstrates a high level of skill, experience, and judgement in carrying out all the roles that his/her job entails.
The curriculum and training programmes are designed to produce surgeons competent to take up such Consultant appointments in the UK. The curriculum is designed to provide trainees in the specialty of Plastic Surgery with a structured training programme that will enable them to progress from the introductory stages of training through to the level required of a surgeon working independently as a Consultant in the NHS.
FUTURE TRENDS
There are approximately 300 Consultants in the UK, which translates into 1:205,000 population. To achieve the recommendation made by the Senate of Surgery of 1 Consultant per 100,000 population for the UK and to allow a Consultant delivered service, a doubling of Consultant numbers to 600 will be required.
Over the coming months, the focus of work at the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) will be updating the Plastic Surgery curricula (last version updated in 2010 by Vivian Lees, SAC chair). I wait in anticipation for what the new curriculum will propose for trainees in Plastic Surgery.
It is a varied specialty involving adults and children, and encompassing a wide range of conditions affecting different parts of the body. Implicit in the wide ranging nature of the specialty is the requirement that a Consultant in Plastic Surgery demonstrates a high level of skill, experience, and judgement in carrying out all the roles that his/her job entails.
The curriculum and training programmes are designed to produce surgeons competent to take up such Consultant appointments in the UK. The curriculum is designed to provide trainees in the specialty of Plastic Surgery with a structured training programme that will enable them to progress from the introductory stages of training through to the level required of a surgeon working independently as a Consultant in the NHS.
FUTURE TRENDS
There are approximately 300 Consultants in the UK, which translates into 1:205,000 population. To achieve the recommendation made by the Senate of Surgery of 1 Consultant per 100,000 population for the UK and to allow a Consultant delivered service, a doubling of Consultant numbers to 600 will be required.
Over the coming months, the focus of work at the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) will be updating the Plastic Surgery curricula (last version updated in 2010 by Vivian Lees, SAC chair). I wait in anticipation for what the new curriculum will propose for trainees in Plastic Surgery.
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