HERNIA MESH MAY TRIGGER SERIOUS MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

Have You Been Affected by Defective Hernia Mesh?

The use of synthetic mesh to repair hernias has caused thousands of patients to suffer from serious medical complications following their hernia surgery. Hernias occur when an organ or tissue pushes through the muscle that normally contains it. Using surgical mesh is used to provide support to weakened or damaged tissue.

Several companies manufactured a defective screen-like synthetic hernia mesh containing a type of plastic known as polypropylene, a material that should not have been used. Polypropylene is not intended for use in permanent medical implants such as hernia mesh.

Polypropylene mesh fibers can cause serious and permanent injuries when they break down and flow to another part of the body. The FDA issued a Safety Communication in 2014 to warn the public about the serious medical problems linked to synthetic hernia mesh, based on reports it received of complications associated with this defective product.

In April of 2016, the FDA again reported on the problems associated with these hernia mesh products, which by that time were no longer on the market. The FDA identified the most common complications associated with these defective devices to be:

• Pain (typically near the hernia site)
• Infection
• Recurrence (of the hernia, requiring a second surgery)
• Adhesion (build-up of scar tissue)
• Obstruction (blockages of the bowel or intestine)
• Perforation of organs
• Other injuries to organs, nerves or blood vessels