Letters implementing strategies to promote more judicious use of CT. of pelvic organ prolapse and reported 1503 mesh-related Efforts by policy makers and medical-center leaders to re- events (5-fold increase) in the Manufacturer and User Device align incentives that promote the escalating use of CT remain Experience database from January 1, 2008, through Decem- a societal imperative. ber 31, 2010.2 We sought to determine the extent of use of vaginal mesh in pelvic organ prolapse after the most recent Frank S. Drescher, MD FDA warning and patterns of discontinuation of the use of Brenda E. Sirovich, MD, MS vaginal mesh in New York State. Author Affiliations: Outcomes Group, VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Methods | We used data from the New York Statewide Plan- Vermont (Drescher, Sirovich); Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at ning and Research Cooperative System, which contains rec- Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire (Drescher, Sirovich); Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Veterans Affairs, White River Junction, Vermont ords of all surgical procedures done in the state. Patients un- (Drescher); The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, dergoing surgical procedures for pelvic organ prolapse with or Hanover, New Hampshire (Sirovich). without the use of mesh from January 1, 2011, to December 31, Corresponding Author: Frank S. Drescher, MD, Pulmonary and Critical Care 2013, were identified through previously described methods.3 Medicine, Veterans Affairs, 215 N Main St (111), White River Junction, VT 05009 (
[email protected]). Patients with previous repairs of prolapse were excluded. The average annual hospital volume of prolapse repair surgery was Published Online: December 28, 2015.