Around 40,000 women in the UK have had
breast implants produced by Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP).
The announcement from the French
authorities calling for the implants to be removed has caused an international
health scare. The French
authorities believe there is an increased chance of the implants rupturing and
leading to complications.
On the 23rd December 2011 the French
authorities advised all its citizens who have had PIP implant to have them
removed and the French Government would pay for the full cost of the
procedure.
ABOUT PIP BREAST IMPLANTS
The supplier of the implant, Poly Implant
Prostheses is based in the south of France, and had been using to secure
financial saving, industrial grade silicone, normally used for filling mattresses
and computer parts, instead of medical grade silicone.
The cheap implants rupture rate runs at 5%,
although it is estimated that this could rise to as high as 10%. This is much
higher than other implant rupture figures.
The company went into administration in
2010 and the use of its products has since been banned.
THE SITUATION IN THE UK
In the UK it was announced yesterday that
those who have had the implants through the NHS would be permitted to return
and to the NHS for removal.
The Government has called on private providers to do likewise.
HOW
DO YOU KNOW IF THE IMPLANT HAS RUPTURED
Often you may notice deflation of the
implant by a change in the shape or size of the breast. This can happen slowly
over a few days, but can often happen very suddenly.
In many cases a rupture may not be noticed
without the need of an MRI scan, as many silicone based implants will not leak
in the same way as saline based implants, due mainly to the gel inside the
implant.
WHAT
SHOULD YOU DO?
If you have had these implants you should
consult with your GP immediately.
HOW
CAN OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS HELP?
The MJP
Clinical Negligence Team has many years' experience of successfully
winning harmful product claims.
Our
expert advice has helped us our team to be mentioned in The Legal 500.
Our
lawyers have successfully recovered compensation for victims of other
pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
For a
FREE private consultation call Sara Westwood on 01603877000 or email
sarawestwood@m-j-p.co.uk
