breast implant

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A Dictionary of Nursing

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

breast implant

breast implant saline- or silicone-filled prosthesis used after mastectomy as a part of the breast reconstruction process or used cosmetically to augment small breasts. An implant consists of a fluid-filled, malleable pouch that is designed to mimic to the look and feel of natural breast tissue when inserted into a pocket created under the skin in a procedure called a mammoplasty. After reports that leakage from silicone-filled implants might be causing autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus , arthritis , scleroderma) in some women, the Food and Drug Administration in 1992 called for a moratorium on their use outside clinical trials. The ensuing scare resulted in the largest product liability settlement in U.S. history and the Chapter-11 bankruptcy of Dow Corning Corporation, one of the makers of the implants. Despite legal settlements in the billions of dollars, the claims against silicone-filled implants remain anecdotal; numerous scientific studies have found no link or only a weak equivocal link between the implants and disease. The use of silicone-filled implants was again approved by the FDA for reconstructive surgery in 1998 and for cosmetic surgery in 2006.

Bibliography: See M. Angell, Science on Trial (1996).

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breast implant

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | Â© A Dictionary of Nursing 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

breast implant n. see implant.

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"breast implant." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"breast implant." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (July 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-breastimplant.html

"breast implant." A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press. 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-breastimplant.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	FDA tells breast implant manufacturers to provide patient information. (Food and Drug Administration) Magazine article from: FDA Consumer; 12/1/1991
	More on the implant settlement. (breast implants) Newspaper article from: HealthFacts; 8/1/1994
	Breast implant litigation faces uncertain future. Magazine article from: Trial; 7/1/1995

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Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	FDA tells breast implant manufacturers to provide patient information. (Food and Drug Administration) Magazine article from: FDA Consumer; 12/1/1991; 369 words ; Breast implant manufacturers must provide doctors with...understandable information about the risks of breast implants, and doctors should give this information to patients considering breast implant surgery, FDA said in a Federal Register... Read more
	More on the implant settlement. (breast implants) Newspaper article from: HealthFacts; 8/1/1994; 484 words ; ...pros and cons of the silicone breast implant settlement (June 1994), The New...medical evaluation but did not have breast implants. The study was published on June...Only five of the 749 women with breast implants were later given a diagnosis... Read more
	Breast implant litigation faces uncertain future. Magazine article from: Trial; 7/1/1995; ; 700+ words ; The future of breast implant litigation is anything but certain...Corp., once a leading silicone gel breast implant manufacturer, filed for Chapter 11...representatives of Dow Corning and other breast implant manufacturers had returned to the... Read more
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