Under the Affordable Care Act, beginning January 1st, sales of medical devices from implants to MRIs, research equipment and surgical instruments bear a 2.3 percent tax.

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But Medtronic gets plenty of revenue from spinal implants, heart stents, insulin pumps and surgical devices, too.

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French authorities have found some of the implants contained industrial-grade silicone gel instead of surgical grade.

WSJ: Breast-Implant Risk Remains a Fluid Question

The report, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, suggested the infections were caused by contaminated implants, the patient's skin or poor sterilisation and cleanliness in the surgical theatre.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Infection risk of breast implants

Increasingly intrusive and risky procedures have become far more common since the original Miss World protest in 1970 - from facelifts and silicone breast implants to "nasal tip enhancement", the "internal bra" (a "revolutionary surgical breast support"), labiaplasties and "breast boosters".

BBC: The Response: Is there a problem with Miss World?