TITLE:
Hernia Societies—A Blessing or a Curse? Who Is Running Them? Ethical Surgeons or the Industry
AUTHORS:
Robert Bendavid
KEYWORDS:
Hernia, Mesh, Plastics Industry, Gadgets, Ethics, Polypropylene
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.5 No.13,
July
15,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The intended purpose of hernia societies is being lost. Originally, they
were meant to be a venue for the dissemination of basic science, knowledge and
sharing of acquired research, experiences by surgeons with the ultimate aim of
improving a patient’s lot. Instead, they have become venues and brokerage
houses where the plastics industry may advertise and sell products which have
barely been tested or about which the truth was never entirely revealed. An FDA
approval, sadly, is not assurance that all is well. We are discovering these
facts through the courts and the lay press. We, as surgeons, are not told the
whole truth to impart to patients who expect nothing less! Have any of us been
complicit, knowingly or not?