Incontinence Sling

An incontinence sling is a medical device designed to treat female stress urinary incontinence, a condition characterized by the involuntary loss of urine that occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise.

Commonly referred to as a vaginal sling, an incontinence sling is surgically placed under the bladder during a minimally invasive procedure and basically acts as a hammock for the vaginal wall. Once in place, an incontinence sling helps support the bladder and reinforce the muscles that control urine flow from the body.

Incontinence slings have been around for about 100 years, and for a long time, were considered the “gold standard” in stress urinary incontinence treatment. In recent years, however, studies have linked incontinence slings to widespread complications. One study, for example, estimated that seventeen to eighteen percent of women who received the OB Tape vaginal sling experienced complications.

Vaginal Incontinence Sling Side Effects

Studies have shown that incontinence slings may block needed oxygen

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and nutrients from reaching vaginal tissue, which can lead to potentially serious side effects. The most common side effect reported by patients who received a vaginal incontinence sling is vaginal erosion, which occurs when the tissue that makes up the vaginal wall breaks down or erodes. This is an extremely painful side effect that leads to chronic vaginal discharge and infection. Other common side effects reported by patients who received a vaginal incontinence sling include:

extreme pain
impaired healing
vaginal extrusions
urinary tract erosion
abscesses
recurrence of incontinence

Treatment of the various types of incontinence sling complications may require additional surgical procedures (some of them to remove the sling), IV therapy, blood transfusions, and drainage of hematomas or abscesses.