Press coverage about the dangers posed by breast implants manufactured by the French company Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) have created alarm for women in this country, says Ian Corbett, Partner and specialist in medical negligence claims at Mansfield law firm Hopkins Solicitors.
He confirms that Hopkins have received a number of calls from women who have had these implants, and that they’re worried about the risks to their health and confused about the mixed messages coming from the authorities about the help they are likely to receive.
It was discovered that PIP had been using cheaper industrial grade silicone as the implant filler rather than medical grade. There have also been concerns about the barrier skin on the PIP implants not being as robust as it should have been leading to higher than average rupture rates.
Ian points out that in England, the official line is that there is not enough evidence to recommend routine removal of PIP implants and there are no established links between the silicone filler and cancer. The British Government have also stated that the rupture rate for these implants is no higher than the average rupture rates for different types of implant.
Currently there is no scheme in place to compensate women who have had the PIP implants but the NHS in England has agreed that it will remove the PIP implants if they rupture, even for those women who had their original surgery in a private clinic.
Ian comments that women who have had PIP implants may have difficulty in seeking compensation but adds that a positive outcome as a result of this episode will be a tightening up of procedures to cover products such like breast implants.
