The Bleeding Edge (2018)

I have to admit that this film made me nervous because I actually underwent surgery having a device implanted in my brain. I had an experimental stent installed to help prevent a series of strokes caused by blood clots drifting away from an aneurysm. I haven't had any problems since the implant, but I think that if I'd seen this documentary before the brain surgery I would have thought twice. It's been over 4 years now with no problems, which is a good thing.

I found this a first class documentary about the countries medical implant industry. How bizarre that these implants don't have to be tested, unlike new drugs, on humans but can be sold if they are similar to those already on the market. The program devotes a lot of time to Bayer's birth control implant Essure. In Europe the EU raised various questions that Bayer didn't want to answer and the product wasn't sold in there, now with thousands of court cases in this country Bayer have decided (for business reasons) to take the product off the market by the end of 2018.Essure is just one of the implants revealed in the film to cause medical problems another was metal hip replacements that can slowly fail over time and cause cobalt poisoning. Medical mesh merges with internal organs and tissue making it extremely hard to correct in later operations when there are problems. The Da Vinci robot surgical operating machine is too complex for surgeons to use unless they have had extensive training, the film revealed that many had not even though the company told the FDA that there would be a serious training program for surgeons, having got their product approved the training option evaporated.One thing that impressed me about this documentary is the absence of those dozens of little clips you get in documentaries these days to fill up time between one main point and another and they usually have annoying background music. In 'The bleeding edge' it's almost all people talking to the camera in a straightforward conversational way that gives the whole thing great credibility. There is background music but it isn't excessive. As a documentary this is an impressive change from the usual over-the-top-production that is the norm these days.

If this documentary doesn't cause concern about the FDA and the medical industry, then nothing will.

Absolutely brilliant documentary! Really sums up the current state the medical industry is in. I loved every minute of it, really keeps your attention throughout.