About 8% of men receiving a particular penile prosthesis experienced a “pseudo-malfunction” related to the device’s pump, according to a report published in Urology last month.
The issue involved the Coloplast Titan Inflatable Penile Prosthesis with One-Touch Release pump. Introduced in 2008, the one-touch release pump allows men to inflate or deflate the prosthesis with one squeeze of the release valve.
A group of American researchers examined the records of 550 men with erectile dysfunction who had the Coloplast prosthesis implanted by the same surgeon over a period of four years. The surgeon used standard surgical methods, using an infrapubic or penoscrotal approach.
Overall, 7.8% of the men reported that their device had become “stuck” in the deflate position. They also said that the pump bulb felt “hard.” For some men, this happened repeatedly.
The issue stemmed from the inflate/deflate valve disc, which was stuck in the deflate position. Applying extra pressure to the bulb remedied the problem and the men were able to inflate and deflate the prosthesis normally after that.
About two-thirds of the patients saw their urologist for help. The remaining third discovered this solution on their own. None of the patients required further surgery for the issue.
“Patients with a [one-touch release] pump should be informed that approximately 8% might develop pseudo-malfunction in the postoperative period,” the authors wrote. “The mechanism underlying this problem and the way to rectify it should be explained.”
“Providing patients with proper education and realistic postoperative expectations after [inflatable penile prosthesis] placement can decrease anxiety and improve patient satisfaction,” they added.
The researchers shared their findings with Coloplast.
Resources
Medscape Medical News
Hand, Larry
“Penile Prosthesis Pump May Need Adjusting to Avoid Getting Stuck”
(October 2, 2014)
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832744?src=rss
Urology
Garber, Bruce B., et al.
“Pseudo-malfunction of the Coloplast Titan Inflatable Penile Prosthesis One-Touch Release Pump”
(Full-text accessed via ScienceDirect. October 2014)
http://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295%2814%2900595-0/fulltext