Patients at-risk from faulty medical devices investigation finds

Patients who have been fitted with medical devices including hip replacements and pacemakers, face further surgery to have them replaced as thousands report them to be failing.

An investigation, finds there is a need for tighter safety regulations of medical devices as the current system is not fit for purpose.

A joint investigation by the British Medical Journal and Channel 4 dispatches, is asking how well and honestly high-risk devices are tested before they are made available for use.

With thousands of medical devices on the market worldwide, the industry is worth more than £200 billion a year, but the approval process is less stringent than that for drugs.

The Dispatches programme will show how devices remain on the market and continue to be used, despite warnings from doctors and patient deaths.

Investigations Editor at the BMJ, Dr Deborah Cohen said: “We have still not learned from past failures. Nearly 20 years ago, the BMJ highlighted the dangers of early failure of unproved implants,yet the NHS is currently picking up the bill for faulty devices. Unlike kettles and toasters, which come with warranties, when devices do not last as long as they ought to companies are not necessarily held financially responsible.”

These findings will be broadcast in Dispatches: The Truth About Going Under the Knife on Monday 16 May at 8pm on Channel 4.