A hernia occurs when a small piece or loop of abdominal content protrudes out of its normal location in the body through a weakened portion of the muscle wall. There are different types of hernias and they often times occur in the belly button. Over 200,000 people in the United States suffer from hernias each year. Treatments for hernias range from close monitoring to surgery to close the opening in the muscle wall. The surgical repair usually involves the use of mesh products to repair the hole in the muscle wall. However, even with modern medicine, there are complications stemming from these surgical mesh implants, prompting a recall by the FDA for certain mesh brands and products.
For the past two decades, mesh treatment products have become the norm of hernia repair. Surgical mesh repairs the weakened muscle wall tissue by providing support to the area of affliction. Hernia mesh comes in knitted or non-knitted sheets made of animal tissue or synthetic material. Synthetic surgical mesh can be absorbable, non-absorbable or both. Animal tissue mesh fosters new the other hand permanently remains implanted in the muscle wall to reinforce the hernia once it is repaired.
Several medical outlets have recommended surgical mesh for hernia repair arguing that the mesh produces a reduced rate in hernia recurrence. Furthermore, medical professionals have argued that hernia recurrence is higher in situations in which hernias were repaired with sutures rather than mesh implants. Surgical mesh also facilitates faster operations and recovery times.
Although surgical mesh has become increasingly common in hernia repair procedures, the medical implant has resulted in negative outcomes for thousands of patients. One threat hernia mesh implants presents is the movement of mesh from the implantation site and its contraction or shrinkage of the mesh itself. Other harmful side effects deriving from surgical mesh usage involve severe pain around the implementation site, infection, the formation of scar tissue, scar-tissue adhesion and a reappearance of the hernia. Some incidents of surgical mesh complications result in severe side effects such as intestinal obstruction, bleeding, organ perforation and even the abnormal fusion of organs.
Several of the negative side effects and complications recorded after the use of surgical mesh in hernia pair the result of defective products. The FDA has acknowledged that recalled mesh products were at fault for multiple incidents of organ perforation and intestinal obstruction. It has also been discovered that surgical mesh complications were also the result of counterfeit sheets of surgical mesh labeled as certified brand name products. These brands include the C.R. Bard and Davol manufactured meshes.
One mesh manufacturer has released a list of these counterfeit products baring its company name. C.R. Bard announced that four sizes of surgical mesh products were falsely manufactured and released with their company label and lot numbers. These products were the Bard Flat Mesh 2” x 4”, 10” x 14” and 3” x 6”. For more information on recalled lot numbers, visit this link.
Mesh manufacturers and distributors that have announced recalls regarding their surgical mesh products include RAM Medical, Inc., Amerimed Corporation, Medline Industries and Q-Med Corporation amongst several others. In 2010, the FDA named these distributors’ recalls as Class I, indicating they are the most serious types of recalls resulting in the most severe consequences. Currently, the FDA is constantly conducting tests on counterfeit mesh products to evaluate the extent of their negative impact while keeping potential recall victims informed. They are also investigating where these counterfeit products originated.
If you think that yourself or a loved one have fallen victim as a consequence of a recalled surgical mesh product for hernia repair, it is imperative to first contact your doctor or surgeon to determine what type of mesh you have. Next, contact one of our personal injury attorneys at Schneider Hammers and let us take care of your defective medical product case. We are committed to representing you effectively and strategically against medical manufactures to ensure justice is served.
