Vaginal mesh, used for the treatment of prolapse and incontinence, has hit the news recently as women pursue \nlitigation after suffering serious complications. But there have been concerns ever since the first type of vaginal\nmesh was launched in the mid-nineties, only to be withdrawn a few years later. Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence Based Medicine\nat the University of Oxford, explains the 'shambolic' regulation of medical devices, Consultant gynaecologist Swati Jha, who has been collecting data on\nmesh for over a decade, believes media coverage has been muddled. Women speak of living with surgery, while Inside Health's \nDr Margaret McCartney calls for a registry to collect effective data.
Plus, new guidance in Scotland challenges the so called 'J-shaped curve' - evidence that moderate drinking is good for the heart. \nNaveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow and part of the committee that produced the updated guidance, \ntalks to Mark Porter about the changes.