Thinking About Implants?

I finally had my implant repaired this week. Mentor contributed just enough to cover the cost of capsular repair and replacement of the implant. I didn't receive enough to cover the cost of scar revision. I laughed when the head of their legal department said Mentor's utmost concern was that I would be a satisfied customer. I guess if that were true they would have made sure to repair the ruptured implant at least within the first month; I was nearing 4 months since the rupture by the time they took care of it. Because of this I had to undergo more extensive surgery which included scooping out more tissue and removal of scar tissue that had formed over the ruptured implant.

2 ruptures in 6 years. Is it worth the trouble and duress? We'll see what happens next.

I'll be posting a copy of the agreement they wanted me to sign, which basically stated I would never hold them responsible or liable for any problems of any kind.

Mentor Hides Defects

This was taken from a May 2005 article written by Shelley Whitcher, entitled, "Mentor Corporation Hid Breast Implant Defects, Including Flea Contamination".

A major manufacturer of breast implants, Mentor Corporation, hid information of defective implants from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and consumers, say two former employees. According to a recent New York Times article ("Implant Maker Hid Defects, Workers Said" by Gardiner Harris, May 22, 2005), Mentor purposely withheld important information about its safety record and distributed contaminated products.

The depositions of two former Mentor employees were taken during a lawsuit brought by Kim Hoffman, who claimed that her Mentor implants had made her sick. Although the suit was eventually dismissed, Hoffman provided the depositions to The New York Times last week.
John C. Karjanis, the former product evaluation manager for Mentor, stated under oath that "top executives instructed him to destroy reports detailing the high rupture rates and poor quality of some types of implants because the products 'are in the customers.'" Karjanis also stated that one Mentor manufacturing executive attempted to obtain approval of defective products through fraudulent documents. When confronted by Karjanis, the executive admitted to trying to get one past him.

Moreover, Karjanis stated that Mentor "suppressed a report finding that some implant models had a high failure rate," and that factory workers also hid defective products in the ceiling tiles in an effort to conceal how often the plant failed to make the products properly.During the two years that Karjanis served as the product evaluation manager, Mentor "never met basic quality standards for implant manufacturing."

This is a link to the NY Times piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/national/22implant.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Mentor Implant Saga

I woke up last Sunday and realized my left breast was considerably smaller than the other. Great, I thought to myself, I've been down this road before. In February of 2002 my Valentine present to myself was a breast augmentation. I'd nursed three children in a span of 4 years, enough said. It all changed in 2002 after my surgery; I was elated with the results. Two years later I was startled to see my reflection in the mirror after coming in from an evening jog before jumping into the shower. My breasts were noticeably lopsided, my left breast seemed to have ruptured.

I quickly called Mentor Corp since I'd puchased the Mentor Enhanced Advantage Warranty. I found the process to getting the help I needed quick and painless. In short order I had an appointment with a surgeon in Salt Lake and everything was back to "normal" for the most part. The doctor told me I would have to get both sides done. Ok, no problem, if this is the protocol, I'll do it. Mentor paid for everything except the trip to Salt Lake. I was relieved to have the ordeal over and done, but I was extremely unhappy with the thick unattractive scar tissue I'd incurred after a second surgery.

After last Sunday's wake up call I contacted Mentor, expecting the same seamless process. Mentor told me to get a hold of the surgeon who'd performed the initial procedure to obtain a referral. I called Dr. Bennett's office in Salt Lake and a few days later his office told me he wasn't familiar with any surgeons on the East coast and therefore was unable to provide me with a referral. Their only words of wisdom to me were: "make sure the surgeon is board certified." No kidding!

I called Mentor today and was surprised to get a "live" person on the line. She apologized for my inconvenience and gave me an email address and the phone number for Mentor's Consumer Affairs Department. I thought I was well on my way to getting things taken care of, just like the last time, but I was wrong. What I did receive was the opportunity to leave a message. I quickly sent off my email detailing my dilemna and concerns which is the topic of my next blog post. In return I received a canned response to my email. Read on, and proceed with caution before choosing Mentor.

Mentor boasts: "Our relationship with you doesn’t end with your surgery. We make a long-term commitment to our patients and integrity of our products". I beg to differ. I have left messages and emails and it takes days, sometimes weeks to hear any response. I also was challenged to produce proof of the Enhanced Advantage Warranty I purchased. Misty in Consumer Affairs said her records showed I only had the Standard Advantage. I faxed her the copy of the letter I received from Mentor proving I indeed have the Enhanced Advantage on April 13th. I called April 21st because I hadn't received a response from Misty. Still to date-no response.