“Terrible pain”, “weight loss”, “depression”… Arnaud Denis, theater actor, after a trivial operation on the groin experienced a real descent into hell. The actor, who underwent surgery for an inguinal hernia in July 2023, explains that his nightmare began three weeks after surgery while he was rehearsing for the role of Valmont in the play Dangerous Liaisons, which he directed and whose program had begun. at the beginning of the school year. “The pain was so severe that I had to quit the project after a week,” he recalls. Arno has still not returned to the stage.
Bedridden with debilitating chronic fatigue, the 40-year-old actor saw his health deteriorate over the weeks, including his sexual function: “I had increasingly severe abdominal pain, constant nausea, tinnitus, tremors… Problems with ejaculation … I lost 17 kilograms in three months. » Today Arnaud wants to warn about the serious complications associated with the “mesh” used in hernia surgery. Risks about which patients are not sufficiently informed.
Prostheses or “mesh” used in the treatment of inguinal hernia.
©DR
An inguinal hernia affects one in four men
What exactly are we talking about? A medical device used for decades to treat hernias. Called a “mesh,” “veil,” “mesh,” “mesh,” or “plate,” it is a synthetic prosthesis (polypropylene) of varying sizes most often used in the surgery of inguinal hernias, a pathology that affects every person. four men. The surgical procedure consists of reintegrating into the abdominal cavity the part of the organ that has entered the inguinal canal (where the umbilical cord passes, connecting the abdominal cavity to the testicles) and installing a mesh. By locally creating an inflammatory response, the prosthesis stimulates the growth of scar tissue (fibrosis), which strengthens the abdominal wall.
No one tells you that if a problem arises, removing the denture will be very difficult or even impossible.
Arnaud Denis
There are 150,000 “treatments” for inguinal hernias in France every year. With an open or minimally invasive approach (laparoscopy), this prosthetic surgery is the standard treatment as it limits the risk of recurrence to 2%, compared to 10–15% for the suture-based method. “We’re not telling you that relapse is nothing compared to the risks associated with implanting a piece of plastic into your body. We do not warn you that if a problem occurs, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate it completely,” says Arnault.
Months of medical wanderings
After the operation, the actor felt left to his own devices. Digestive surgeons, urologists, gastroenterologists… Arnaud moves from specialist to specialist. “Surgeons don’t want to deal with complications and refer you to specialists who don’t understand anything. To receive treatment at a pain center, you usually have to wait 9 months. They don’t know about groin pain. We’ll shoot you and that’s it. This is the solution proposed by AP-HP! » Months of medical wandering, without even knowing about the complications associated with the prosthesis.
Over time, the denture hardens and may crack and become painful.
Arnaud Denis
It’s a private Facebook group, which is what keeps it going, with 4,000 members “from all over the world” blaming the mesh used in hernia surgery. “I found out that they have the same symptoms as me! Then I realized what kind of hell I had unwittingly found myself in… There are a lot of hopeless situations… Problems sometimes appear years after the operation. Over time, the denture may migrate or harden. Split and injure surrounding tissue. There are people whose mesh destroys their pubic bone and who have problems with their hip… I’m talking to a man who can’t have surgery for bladder cancer because of two prosthetics that interfere with access. In France, no one talks about this,” the actor is indignant.
The incidence of complications may affect from 12 to 30% of patients.
Patient complaints are emerging internationally. There are tens of thousands of personal injury lawsuits pending in the United States. In the UK and Australia, social surveys found that the majority of patients surveyed were not adequately informed about the risks of serious complications following hernia surgery.
In a BBC documentary from late 2018, we see isolated patients unable to walk or work after surgery. Others became suicidal. According to this report, the incidence of complications may affect 12 to 30% of patients. “People suffering from complications need help, not silence,” a spokesman for the Royal College of Surgeons was quick to respond. There is also a need for ongoing data analysis to ensure that previous studies have not missed a serious and widespread problem.”
In late 2018, Australia decided “before Europe” to classify surgical mesh as “high risk” due to “serious concerns surrounding the use of these devices.”
Complications similar to those with vaginal implants.
These complications are similar to injuries caused by vaginal implants, medical devices made from the same material as hernia implants. Are patients undergoing hernia surgery subject to the same harm as thousands of women around the world? Vaginal implants intended to treat urinary incontinence (strips) and prolapsed organs (strengthening implants) are currently banned in the UK and US and can no longer be offered in France at first.
There should be no confusion between different implantable medical devices.
Etc David Moshkovich
“There are lawyers in the US who specialize in inguinal hernias, people who are now interested in contaminants that may be in the mesh. Americans are afraid of PIPs (breast implants) and are confused between various implantable medical devices,” warns Professor David Moszkowicz, head of the department of digestive surgery at the Louis-Mouriez Hospital (AP-HP) and secretary of the French Society of Parietal Surgery. “The phenomenon of migration and erosion of the vaginal implant (strips) is a real phenomenon, well known to urologists and gynecologists. Prostheses used in the abdominal wall are not in direct contact with the organs and do not create these problems. »
The problems are not related to the equipment, but to the pathology, the patient’s location and the technique used.
Etc David Moshkovich
The surgeon assures him that the medical devices used for hernia surgery are “ultra-studied, tested and recommended.” “Since the PIP prosthetic case, the testing system has become increasingly restrictive. In most cases, the problems that arise are not related to the equipment, but to the pathology itself, the location of the patient and the technology used. With inguinal hernia surgery, there’s essentially a “risk of chronic pain, which can be very disabling and bothers 6 to 8% of patients,” he explains, clarifying that this is less of an issue when the surgery is performed laparoscopically.
Removing a prosthesis often requires multiple surgeries.
Professor Moszkowicz adds that the risk of damage to the spermatic cord is small and related to the surgical procedure itself, and that infection of the prosthesis (incorrectly called “rejection” or “allergy”) is an exceptional risk (0.35% of cases), but may require its removal . implant. Half a dozen services in France know how to do it “right,” he explains. But for the patient it can take several years… Up to ten years! “Sometimes it happens that the patient is poorly oriented by a surgeon who does not know how to do it. Most often, this takes a long time, since the prosthesis has taken root and its removal requires several operations. But we’re getting there! »
Very risky surgical procedure
Arnault left to “save his skin” in New York. On April 11, he was in the hands of a specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital, a center specializing in the explantation of wall prostheses using robots (Da Vinci). Precision surgery for a particularly delicate procedure. “The prosthesis sticks to the blood vessels and nerves so much that you risk serious complications, lifelong consequences,” explains the actor.
I paid 45,000 euros to save my health and career.
Arnaud Denis
It was his third consultation with the new urologist in February that revealed what he had been fearing for weeks: the prosthesis-side testicle was showing the onset of atrophy as it was no longer properly vascularized. This is due to the pressure of the prosthesis on the spermatic cord: the mesh must be removed. His fellow sufferers advised him to go to the USA. “I had a terrible feeling of impending death for several months… I paid 45,000 euros to save my health and career. »
The surgical procedure, which lasted three hours, was successful. The prosthesis was explanted without damaging the tissues and spermatic cord. Two weeks after the operation, Arno’s pain disappeared and his sexual function was restored. “This is a miracle! This surgeon saved my life,” says the actor. Today Arnault creates an association for victims of hernia prostheses. Since his warning message on Facebook in December, he says he has received three to four messages a day. “Patients who are suffering and abandoned by the medical system. »
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