NICE Recommends Bioprosthetic Plug for Anal Fistulas
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee in the UK has recommended bioprosthetic fistula plugs as a treatment option for anal fistulas.
NICE has recommended bioprosthetic anal fistula plugs with the highest level of recommendation. Cook recognizes how hopeful this announcement is for patients who have anal fistula.
In a statement, NICE said, ‘Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of bioprosthetic plug insertion for anal fistula is adequate to support the use of this procedure provided that standard arrangements are in place for clinical governance, consent and audit.’
This is the highest level of recommendation from the NICE committee and means that there is enough evidence for surgeons experienced in managing anal fistulas to consider this procedure as a treatment option. NICE helps inform which products and procedures the National Health Services (NHS) uses to treat patients in the UK, so this recommendation is a milestone for bioprosthetic technologies. Cook Medical, the market leader for bioprosthetic anal fistula plugs in Europe, recognises this as a positive announcement for patients.
‘For patients with anal fistula, this is an innovative option. We are delighted that NICE has recommended this type of product as a form of treatment. We hope to continue working with NICE and the NHS to help fistula patients heal and live normal lives’, said Andy Cron, vice president of the surgery specialty at Cook Medical.
A fistula is a small tunnel that connects one surface in the body to another surface in the body. Cook’s unique Biodesign® Anal Fistula Plug Set is designed to help heal anal fistulas without cutting into the sphincter muscles.
