The Health Service Executive (HSE) paid more than €1 million for 69 men to be fitted with bionic penises as a treatment for erectile dysfunction over a nine-year period, new figures have revealed.
A bionic penis, which is also known as a penile prosthesis, is a surgically implanted device that can be manually inflated, allowing a male patient to regain sexual function.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that 86 men were fitted with the bionic devices in public hospitals between 2012 and 2020, 69 of whom were public patients.
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The remaining 17 individuals either paid for the procedure privately or were covered by health insurance.
The HSE could not provide details of the cost of the treatment, but private clinics in the UK advertise prices of between €14,600 and €20,500 for the implantation of three-piece inflatable devices, which can cost over €8,000 by themselves.
The cost of providing the treatment for 69 public patients at these rates would amount to between €1 million and €1.4 million.
The number of men undergoing the procedure in Irish hospitals fluctuated over the nine-year period, peaking at 16 in 2018, although only eight of these were funded by the taxpayer.
Fewer than five individuals were fitted with bionic penises in both 2016 and 2020, while a total of 28 received the treatment between 2012 and 2014 – all of whom were public patients.
It is understood that penile prostheses are considered a last resort where all other treatment options have failed, and the cause of patients’ erectile dysfunction can include trauma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and prostate removal.
The majority of patients are fitted with a three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis (3p-IPP), which consists of an abdominal reservoir, a scrotal pump, and dual cylinders implanted in the spongy tissue of the penis.
A recent study published in the Irish Medical Journal reported that 86% of patients who had undergone the treatment in Irish hospitals between 2008 and 2017 had said they were “satisfied” with the outcome.
However, a number of post-operative complications were reported by other respondents, and 13 had to undergo at least one revision procedure due to device failure, erosion or infection.
The causes of device failure reported by patients included kinking of tubing, disconnection of a tube from the abdominal reservoir, and migration of the reservoir within the body.
A spokeswoman for the HSE provided additional details in relation to the figures but did not comment, and declined to outline the criteria for approving patients for the procedure in the public health system.
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