Saturday, September 19, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2009
Contact: Lana Keeton
Truth in Medicine Incorporated
786-566-7780
FIRST ANNUAL TRUTH IN MEDICINE CONFERENCE

“SURVIVING THE COMPLICATIONS OF SYNTHETIC SURGICAL MESH”

Conference to Address Synthetic Meshes impact on more than 13 million Baby Boomers causing increased health care costs with 30-40% Complication Rate

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept 19, 2009 –For the first time, a group of injured patients representing millions who have received synthetic surgical mesh for the common problems of hernia repair and urinary incontinence, will meet, one-on-one with patient advocates and surgeons to address the high complication rates of synthetic meshes at the first annual Truth in Medicine, conference at the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel, September 25-26, 2009.

“While medical device makers and some doctors advertise a 1-2% complication rate, thousands of injured patients have contacted Truth in Medicine, to tell their stories of ruined lives from irreversible complications indicating a rate of closer to 30 to 40 %,” says patient advocate and founder of Truth in Medicine, Lana Keeton.
Keeton, herself a synthetic mesh sufferer, helps to educate and support injured patients through Truth in Medicine showing them how to find medical treatment and making them realize they are not suffering alone. “These are very serious complications,” says Keeton.

“Millions of people may have synthetic surgical mesh of one kind or another implanted in their bodies which can shrink, migrate, perforate bowels, the vaginal wall, the urethra and/or the bladder and in some cases lead to death.”

Truth in Medicine patient advocates were the driving force behind the FDA issuing its first Public Health Notification in October 2008, on “Serious complications associated with Trans-vaginal Placement of Surgical Mesh…” and FDA's Information on Surgical Mesh for Hernia Repairs http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm142636.htm. Their focus now is to have the same Public Health Notification warning of complications of placement of synthetic hernia mesh.

Also, Truth in Medicine is pushing the FDA to re-open their Synthetic Surgical Mesh Investigation, following the “resignation” of Dr. Daniel Schultz, head of the CDRH who approved Regen for marketing against the recommendations of internal agency scientists and to re-review synthetic mesh according to the GAO’s recommendations earlier this year to re-review 25 other medical devices approved without assurances of safety or efficacy, says Keeton.

Presentations will be made Friday & Saturday, September 25-26, at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel, 1617 SE 17th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 and include featured speakers:
Dr. Diana Zuckerman, President of the National Research Center for Women & Families; Nancy Muller, Executive Director of the national Association for Continence; and Ken W. Goodman, PhD, Director, Bioethics Program and Co-Director, Ethics Programs, University of Miami.

Doctors Roundtable will include members of the American Urogynecological Society (AUGS), representatives from AUGS' Board of Directors, Dr. Zuckerman and Dr. Goodman.

MEDIA: Will have access to patients from around the country to tell their stories, as well as surgeons and urogynecologists.

BACKGROUND RESOURCES: - Truth in Medicine was recently highlighted on the consumer Web site, InjuryBoard.com in a four part series, which generated more consumer responses than any other single story, and by WPLG TV 10 http://www.local10.com/video/17492050/index.html in Miami. #

ADDITIONAL HYPERLINKS:
FDA's Public Health Notification for Transvaginal Placement of Mesh:



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