The safety of breast implants

By Dr. Martin Schoelkopf

In mid-February, the Commission presented a report on the activities undertaken by the Member States concerning the safety of breast implants. This particularly refers to the accessibility of information, rules on consent for female patients, the advertising of breast implants, and reflections in terms of the generation of national registers and long-term follow-up monitoring. The report follows on from a Communication of the Commission (November 2001) on the same topic, in which a series of measures was proposed for improving the quality of breast implants and patient protection.

In parallel to the report, the Commission presented its proposal for a Directive on better classification of breast implants. In the tightening of rules on quality and safety checks, a special certificate will have to be issued for all implants, documenting adherence to those rules. In addition, the Commission has asked the European Committee for Standardisation to examine the current European standard regarding breast implants. Report and further details: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/medical_devices/index.htm.

30.04.2003

Related articles

Photo

Article •

Delirium – an under-recognised risk factor

Disorientation, anxiety and hallucinations are symptoms of delirium, which may also occur after major surgery. Older people are particularly affected by postoperative delirium. Delirium after surgery…

News •

'Smart' patient monitoring needed to improve workflow

In the operating room, a surgeon typically is surrounded by 11 different medical devices, « and they all keep beeping at us, » complains Dr. Martin Schuster at Charité University Hospital in…

Photo

News • Trial on selective surgery omission

Invasive breast cancer: surgery not always necessary, study finds

Surgery may not be the best next course of treatment for patients with early-stage breast cancer who had a complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and standard radiotherapy, new research finds.

Related products

Subscribe to Newsletter