Boston, MA Attorneys Fight for Patients Injured by Pelvic Mesh Complications
Aggressive representation in cases of medical products liability
If you are experiencing pain and other symptoms following a surgical procedure that used pelvic mesh, Swartz & Lynch LLP is prepared to help. We are a reputable personal injury law firm with more than 75 years of combined experience. Our lawyers have extensive experience in defective medical device cases, and we are determined to fight for the best possible result. When justice requires aggressive litigation, we have the knowledge, skill and resources to pursue full compensation for the harm you’ve suffered.
What is surgical mesh?
Surgical meshes have been used in surgery since the 1950s, when they were introduced as a device for hernia repair. Most often, the mesh was constructed of the synthetic polypropylene. Twenty years later, doctors started using hernia meshes to reinforce the vaginal wall in cases of pelvic organ prolapse, a condition afflicting as many as 50 percent of women, as well as for stress urinary incontinence. Then, in 2002, the Food and Drug Administration approved a surgical product specifically designed for pelvic organ prolapse. But it wasn’t long before the FDA issued a warning that the risks of the new transvaginal mesh far outweighed the benefits to patients. In 2010, the FDA issued a warning about counterfeit polypropylene surgical mesh used in hernia repair and also issued a Class I recall. In 2016, the FDA reclassified the transvaginal mesh as a high-risk surgical device.
Serious risks of failed vaginal mesh surgery
Surgery for pelvic organ prolapse is highly detailed and complicated, even more so when mesh is used. Unless the procedure is done well, there is a significant risk of failure. For the patient, painful complications include:
- Bleeding
- Mesh protrusion due to tissue erosion
- Infection
- Organ perforation
- Painful intercourse
- Urinary problems
When the procedure fails, additional surgery is required to correct the problem, but permanent damage may remain.
Three cases are worth mentioning. In April 2014, Endo International agreed to settle 20,000 claims related to its vaginal mesh products for $830 million. Boston Scientific was the target of a class action in federal court alleging it had conspired with suppliers in China to provide counterfeit materials for its transvaginal mesh. Without admitting wrongdoing, the company announced plans in March 2017 to settle as many as 37,000 pending claims for about $1.75 billion. Finally, in 2017, a jury awarded $7.1 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon for reckless practices related to its use of transvaginal mesh.
Injured patients continue to have their cases heard. If you are suffering, you deserve to have your day in court.
Risks of failed hernia repair using surgical mesh
Hernia repair using surgical mesh was so successful that by 2000, non-mesh repairs constituted only 10 percent of hernia surgeries. But many complications related to hernia repair have been associated with recalled mesh products that are no longer on the market:
- Adhesions
- Bleeding
- Bowel obstruction
- Fluid build-up at the surgical site
- Hernia recurrence
- Infection
- Pain
- Perforation of tissue or organs
Because of painful complications of hernia mesh surgeries, lawsuits have been filed against the following companies:
- Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson)
- Covidien
- Maquet (Atrium)
- Davol
- R. Bard
If you are suffering due to complications from hernia mesh surgery, the medical products liability attorneys at Swartz & Lynch can provide the aggressive representation you need to obtain full and fair compensation for your pain and suffering.
Contact our medical products liability attorneys in Boston
Swartz & Lynch LLP is known as a greater Boston personal injury law firm that gets results. If you’ve been harmed by a surgical mesh, call us today at 857-250-0664 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. One of our knowledgeable lawyers will be happy to evaluate your case and discuss the legal options available to you.