If you had a hernia mesh surgery and suffered complications, you may be entitled to compensation.
Hernia Mesh
Although there are many different types of hernias, they typically involve the abdomen and groin area. They occur when part of an organ exits the muscle or tissue that surrounds it. With abdominal and groin hernias, there’s a pronounced an palpable lump that can be pushed back into place, only to manifest itself again in the not so distant future. Coughing, sneezing, laughing, having difficulty with a bowel movement or strenuous physical activity can make the lump return after it has been pushed back in.
The High Failure Rate and Complications
Hernia mesh is surgically implanted for purposes of reinforcing the area where a hernia is bulging, improving recovery time and preventing the hernia from returning. Hernia surgeries are performed across the country every day, and mesh is used in about 80 percent of them. The mesh is a woven fabric that is stitched in around the site of a hernia.
Mesh Failure and Complications
Some mesh surgery procedures turn out to be less than successful. In 2016, the Journal of the American Medical Association remarked that “the benefits associated with the use of mesh are partially offset by long-term complications associated with its use.” Lawsuits involving hernia mesh allege that the high rate of mesh failure can result in severe complications like chronic pain, infection, mesh shrinkage and migration, organ damage, adhesion of the mesh to the bowel and the need for revision surgery.
Lawsuit Allegations
Given the adverse effects, personal injury lawsuits have been filed against mesh manufacturers after unsuccessful hernia surgeries. The following are some common allegations in the lawsuits:
- The mesh is a dangerously defective product.
- It carries the risk of severe side effects.
- The mesh doesn’t perform in the manner in which it was intended to perform.
- As a result of poor performance, revision surgery was necessary.
- The manufacturer failed to warn both doctors and patients of the risks involving the mesh.
The Lack of Proper Testing
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might allow a medical device applicant to speed up approval and bypass testing and clinical trials if the device is substantially similar to other devices that have already been approved. That’s when the FDA relies on the assumption that the device is already safe for use. A number of hernia mesh products were approved on this basis, but several were later determined to cause serious side effects and complications. Most of those meshes were either withdrawn from the market or recalled. Two hernia mesh products that have faced numerous product liability lawsuits are Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh and Atrium C-QUR Hernia Mesh. Both of these products received expedited approval by the FDA.
Other Manufacturers
Aside from Ethicon and Physiomesh, there are several other manufacturers of hernia mesh. If you’ve suffered severe side effects from a hernia mesh, and you’re facing or have suffered through revision surgery, you might not know which product was initially used. We’ll be pleased to find that out for you.
We Expect Accountability
When a company manufactures a medical device and places it on the market, the expectations are that it meets the high standards of the medical community. It must be safe for using with patients. If it fails to meet those expectations, and a patient suffers adverse effects along with economic and non-economic damages, the manufacturer of that product should be held accountable. Our mission is to have them held liable for those damages and obtain maximum compensation for our clients.
Contact a Louisville Personal Injury Lawyer
You can contact us for a confidential and free consultation on your hernia mesh symptoms and revision surgery.
