Following recent media coverage concerning Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) would like to reassure patients and potential patients that these implants have never been used in procedures carried out in our hospitals.

All women who may in the future undergo breast reconstruction surgery within the Trust requiring the use of a silicone implant can be assured that PIP implants will not used.

Any woman who has undergone silicone implant surgery elsewhere, and who may want reassurance, should ideally be referred to the surgeon/hospital who did the original implant surgery to determine what implant was used in their case. If the implant is not PIP, they do not need to be assessed. If their implants are PIP, or they can not determine the make used, they should ask their GP for referral for an assessment.

We await guidance from the Department of Health as to whether patients who have had PIP implants will need additional breast screening in the future.