Some 27 Irish men fitted with bionic penises to treat erectile dysfunction, HSE figures show

The HSE could not provide details relating to the cost of the treatment, but private clinics in the UK advertise prices exceeding €17,500, suggesting the cost of the 27 procedures could amount to just under €500,000.

A total of 27 men have been fitted with bionic penises as a treatment for erectile dysfunction in public hospitals during the past four years, at a cost of about €500,000, new figures have revealed.

The surgically implanted devices, also known as penile prostheses, can be manually inflated to simulate an erection and allow a male patient to regain sexual function.

The most common model is 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 total of eight patients were fitted with these devices in acute hospitals run by the HSE last year, bringing the number of procedures to 27 in the past four years. The figures do not include elective or voluntary hospitals.

The HSE could not provide details relating to the cost of the treatment, but private clinics in the UK advertise prices exceeding €17,500, suggesting the cost of the 27 procedures could amount to just under €500,000.

Records released by the HSE under freedom of information laws show the patients who received penile prostheses in public acute hospitals since 2021 had been diagnosed with “failure of genital response” or “impotence of organic origin”.

The surgical implantation of these devices is typically considered a last resort, where all other treatment options have failed. Causes of patients’ erectile dysfunction can include trauma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and prostate removal.

The 3p-IPP device is activated by squeezing and releasing a pump fitted in the patient’s scrotum, which moves fluid from a reservoir in the abdomen into the penis, creating an erection.

The latest figures show 11 men underwent the procedure in acute hospitals in 2021, eight received the treatment in 2022 and 2023 combined, and eight were fitted with the devices last year.