Understanding a decade of safety reporting for sacral neuromodulation in the Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database.
Caitlin E CarltonColby P SoudersNathan A ChertackRamy S GoueliGary E LemackJennifer T AngerLynn McClellandMaude E CarmelPublished in: Neurourology and urodynamics (2023)
This review confirms the real-world safety of SNM devices and very low complication rates as seen in the original clinical trials. Our findings indicate that 43.2% (95% confidence interval 40.1%-46.3%) of SNM "complications" are not AEs, per se, but rather reflect a need for improved technical support or more comprehensive informed consent to convey known device limitations to the patient, such as battery life. Similarly, the number of lawsuits is shockingly low for a device that has been in the market for 24 years, reinforcing the safety of the device. Legal cases involving SNM devices seem to relate to inappropriate patient selection-including at least one case in which SNM was used for a non-FDA approved indication-lack of appropriate follow-up, and/or provider inability to assist the patient with utilizing the device after implantation.