Hernia mesh complications impacted 170,000+ people, and many lawsuits continue to be filed against manufacturers. Patients filing hernia mesh lawsuits claim that they were not aware of the severe side effects of the hernia mesh implants, including pain statistics that had been skewed.
Patients often claim that they were told there was a 5% chance of the hernia mesh causing pain, but after implantation, they were told the risk of pain was 12% to 30%.
C.R. Bard, Gor, Atrium, and Johnson & Johnson have been named in lawsuits in which plaintiffs claim to suffer from bleeding, sepsis, scarring, mesh erosion, infection, chronic pain, perforation, bowel obstruction, and a variety of other health complications.
FDA officials allowed manufacturers to use what’s known as the 501(k) clearance process to push products to market.
Over 90% of all hernia repairs in the United States involve hernia mesh implants.
Hernia mesh implants are used to help repair a variety of hernias. In the UK alone, estimates suggest that 68,000 – 170,000 patients are at serious risk of complications following hernia mesh implantation. Mesh implants have been involved in many FDA recalls in 2014 due to the implants causing adverse side effects and offering poor performance.
C.R. Bard’s implant included a ring around the mesh that would eventually wear down, break or buckle. The product would then degrade and pose the risk of perforating the person’s organs or bowels.
Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $80 million to a plaintiff involving an implant that the company’s subsidiary Ethicon manufactures.
Additional manufacturers are included in several lawsuits, including C-Qur products manufactured by Atrium. The product was also pushed through to approval using a quick approval process and is coated in fish oil which has caused many plaintiffs to suffer from allergic reactions.
Human hair was found in one mesh product, and many implants will cause the person’s bowels to twist or perforate.
New Zealand residents are campaigning against the Ministry of Health. For years, campaigning has been going on, with many victims claiming that their lives completely changed after the mesh implant was implanted.
The Ministry is starting to listen after 340 people registered to attend a forum on the issue. The Ministry was expecting only 180 people to attend. Forums allow victims and their families to be able to share their experiences with hernia mesh products.
Campaigners claim that health officials have grossly underestimated the reach of complications.
