Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Group Calls on FDA to Ban Spinal Screws

A citizens health group petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban most uses of bone screws in the spine until they can be shown to be safe and effective. Public Citizen Health Research Group said the expensive and often dangerous screws are implanted in the spines of up to 70,000 people a year as a treatment for back pain. The group’s report on the orthopedic screws said that there was a 33% complication rate and that patients were twice more likely to need additional spinal operations than patients getting spinal fusion without screws.