Organ Damage and Bladder Perforation are Linked to Transvaginal Mesh in Women

Transvaginal mesh is one of those medical products that seemed like a good idea at the time but has since proved to have horrendous consequences for thousands of women.

It has been used for decades but the more recent use of the product for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and prolapse, has proved to be disastrous for thousands of women as evidenced by the harrowing evidence of injuries seen in the many lawsuits brought against the makers of the mesh.

What is Transvaginal Mesh and Why is It Used?

Surgical mesh was originally designed in the 1950s to correct abdominal hernias. It consists of a woven material that was placed below the skin to patch an abdominal hole and prevent intestines and other tissues from protruding through the abdominal wall. It is made of biological materials or synthetic materials like polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, polyester fibers or even stainless steel.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pointed out thousands of hernia repair surgeries are performed each year, and many of them use mesh. However, the FDA has received reports of adverse reactions to the mesh, injury to organs, nerves or to blood vessels.

In the 1970s, doctors started expanding the use of surgical mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The first vaginal mesh product was used in 1996 when the FDA approved it for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The first vaginal mesh product for treatment of prolapse was approved more than a decade ago in 2002. Last year the FDA issued a new warning on transvaginal mesh products.

The Side Effects of Transvaginal Mesh

Women who have experience problems with the mesh have had to undergo surgery. For some the damage has been permanent. The complications associated with the device include:

• Organ damage
• IV Therapy
• Blood transfusions
• Drainage of hematomas or abscesses.
• Vaginal scarring
• Bowel and bladder perforation
• Urinary problems and infection

Lawsuits over Transvaginal Mesh and Sling Products

As of November 2014, more than 65,000 lawsuits have been filed against the makers of transvaginal mesh devices including C.R. Bard, Ethicon (a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary), American Medical Systems and Boston Scientific and consolidated for pretrial proceedings. Some lawsuits have been settled or resulted in awards to the plaintiffs, but many lawsuits are still pending. The claims allege the mesh was defectively designed and caused serious health problems.

According to the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in a report from last November, US District Judge Joseph Goodwin is currently overseeing about 10,000 lawsuits against C.R. Bard; 18,000 lawsuits against American Medical Systems; 14,000 lawsuits against Boston Scientific; 22,000 lawsuits against Ethicon; 1,700 lawsuits against Coloplast; 250 lawsuits against Cook Medical; and a further 70 lawsuits against Neomedic. A $3.35 million jury award was made against Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, in 2013, in the first trial of the defective product.

If you have been injured by transvaginal mesh, you should call our Virginia defective medical device attorneys at 757.455.0077 for a free consultation.