Purpose: We sought to describe and analyze the adverse events associated with synthetic male slings reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. Methods: We queried the MAUDE database for all entries including the terms “Male Sling,” “InVance,” “Virtue,” or “Advance” from January 1st, 2009 to December 31st, 2018. We collected and analyzed information about the event type, date received, report source, source type, and manufacturer. We reviewed and categorized the event description text for each medical device report (MDR). Results: A total of 497 adverse events related to the male sling were identified. The adverse events were classified as injury (95.4%), malfunction (4.2%), and other (0.4%). There were no deaths described. The slings involved were the Advance or Advance XP sling (69.8%), InVance (15.5%), Virtue Quadratic (12.3%), or unknown (2.4%). The 4 most common adverse events described were urinary incontinence (46.7%), sling erosion (9.1%), mechanical malfunction (8.2%), and painumbness (8.2%). There was no increase in the number of reports in the years following the FDA warnings for urogynecologic mesh. Conclusions There was an overall modest number of MDRs related to male slings and the majority of them were reported by the manufacturer. The reporting of adverse events for male slings does not seem to be affected by the controversy and scrutiny towards transvaginal mesh and midurethral slings. Further clinical studies and more objective and detailed databases are needed to investigate the safety of these synthetic slings.

Purpose: We sought to describe and analyze the adverse events associated with synthetic male slings reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. Methods: We queried the MAUDE database for all entries including the terms “Male Sling,” “InVance,” “Virtue,” or “Advance” from January 1st, 2009 to December 31st, 2018. We collected and analyzed information about the event type, date received, report source, source type, and manufacturer. We reviewed and categorized the event description text for each medical device report (MDR). Results: A total of 497 adverse events related to the male sling were identified. The adverse events were classified as injury (95.4%), malfunction (4.2%), and other (0.4%). There were no deaths described. The slings involved were the Advance or Advance XP sling (69.8%), InVance (15.5%), Virtue Quadratic (12.3%), or unknown (2.4%). The 4 most common adverse events described were urinary incontinence (46.7%), sling erosion (9.1%), mechanical malfunction (8.2%), and painumbness (8.2%). There was no increase in the number of reports in the years following the FDA warnings for urogynecologic mesh. Conclusions There was an overall modest number of MDRs related to male slings and the majority of them were reported by the manufacturer. The reporting of adverse events for male slings does not seem to be affected by the controversy and scrutiny towards transvaginal mesh and midurethral slings. Further clinical studies and more objective and detailed databases are needed to investigate the safety of these synthetic slings.

Recent efforts in the generation of large genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and other types of 'omics' data sets have provided an unprecedentedly detailed view of certain diseases, however to date most of this literature has been focused on malignancy and other lethal pathological conditions. Very little intensive work on global profiles has been performed to understand the molecular mechanism of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome/bladder pain syndrome (IC/PBS/BPS), a chronic lower urinary tract disorder characterized by pelvic pain, urinary urgency and frequency, which can lead to long lasting adverse effects on quality of life. A lack of understanding of molecular mechanism has been a challenge and dilemma for diagnosis and treatment, and has also led to a delay in basic and translational research focused on biomarker and drug discovery, clinical therapy, and preventive strategies against IC/PBS/BPS. This review describes the current state of 'omics' studies and available data sets relevant to IC/PBS/BPS, and presents opportunities for new research directed at understanding the pathogenesis of this complex condition.
Cystitis, Interstitial ; Drug Discovery ; Genomics ; Medical Informatics ; Metabolomics ; Pelvic Pain ; Proteomics ; Quality of Life ; Translational Medical Research ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract