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Hernia Mesh

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Hernia Mesh

More than a million hernia repairs are performed every year in the United States alone. Since the 1980s, the use of medical devices called surgical mesh in hernia repairs has risen drastically. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that more than 90 percent of certain types of hernia repairs use hernia mesh patches. n.1

While the use of hernia mesh may cause a reduction in recurrence, these medical devices have also been plagued by defects and higher-than-expected side effects.

Hundreds of adverse reports have been reported to the FDA, and now victims are litigating their legal options via hernia mesh lawsuits.

What is Hernia Mesh?

A hernia is a condition in which an organ or tissue squeezes through a weak spot in the wall of the muscle surrounding the area. It most commonly happens in the belly and groin area.

Until about three decades ago, hernias were typically repaired by a surgeon who cut an incision in the abdomen, pulled the tissue together, and sewed the hole shut with dissolving sutures.

More recently, hernia repairs have been done with something called surgical mesh. Instead of pulling the tissue and sewing it together, surgeons now place a mesh over the hole or weak spot. Surgical mesh is usually made from synthetic materials that are either absorbable or nonabsorbable — or a combination.

By reinforcing the area of a hernia instead of squeezing the tissue together, surgical mesh should reduce the recurrence rate of hernias. As time goes by, the hernia mesh will degrade or lose its effectiveness. The idea is that new tissue will have grown over the repair site by then.

Types of Hernia Mesh

Hernia meshes come in all different types of sizes and materials. The designs often differ to optimize the repair of specific hernias. One mesh might be used for an inguinal hernia and another might be used for a ventral hernia.

Types of Hernia Mesh:

  • LifeCell/Allergen (Strattice)
  • Atrium (C-Qur)
  • Bard/Davol (Kugel, Marlex, Ventralight, etc.)
  • Covidien (Paritex, etc.)
  • Ethicon Physiomesh

Companies making hernia mesh devices often manufacture several different models. Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, makes a hernia mesh called “Physiomesh.” Here is a video explaining the defects with Physiomesh – (video).

Hernia Mesh Lawsuits

Due to serious complications like organ damage and infection, thousands of people have filed lawsuits against hernia mesh manufacturers. Tens of thousands of hernia mesh lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts. There is an MDL for the Atrium C-QUR Mesh and the Ethicon Physiomesh hernia mesh. There is a state court consolidation for Bard hernia mesh, along with an MDL. There are cases in New Jersey state court regarding prolene hernia mesh system and proceed hernia mesh.

Plaintiffs in these hernia mesh lawsuits have claimed that the manufacturers have made defective products, failed to test the hernia mesh adequately, failed to warn the public of serious risks, concealed dangers from the public, and negligently designed and marketed the products. These product liability and negligence claims apply to all products.

Any patients who have suffered from unexpected and severe complications related to hernia mesh should contact their healthcare providers immediately and consider consulting with an attorney if the injuries are related to the hernia mesh. Several cases are headed to trial in the coming year and strict deadlines apply to these cases. 

Patient Problems with Hernia Mesh

Hernia mesh devices have been used for decades. With an increase in use, more and more people have reported adverse effects associated with the products. Patients or physicians often report adverse events to the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) Database.

Here are some of the most common reported complications:

Infection
Hernia Recurrence
Bowel
Obstruction
Severe Abdominal Pain
Adhesion
Hospitalization

References

  1. FDA. “Hernia Surgical Mesh Implants“, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/HerniaSurgicalMesh/default.htm. Accessed April 24, 2018.
  2. Rodger H. Brown, M.D., Anuradha Subramanian, M.D., Cindy S. Hwang, M.D., Shirong Chang, M.D., Samir S. Awad, M.D.”Comparison of infectious complications with synthetic mesh in ventral hernia repair“, The American Journal of Surgery, https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(12)00466-7/abstract. Accessed April 24, 2018.
  3. Amy S. “Hernia Mesh Patch Recall – FDA Warns of Death and Serious Healt…“, Topix, http://www.topix.com/forum/news/prweb/TE4DF83JKBNACOFNO#c10. Accessed April 24, 2018.
  4. Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1743919113600084#bib7
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