Pelvic Mesh

If you have suffered at the hands of a faulty pelvic mesh implant, please request a free, no obligation case evaluation.

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Summary

Transvaginal mesh is a type of surgical mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapses and stress urinary incontinence in women. These conditions typically occur after a woman has undergone childbirth or a removal of the uterus.

A pelvic organ prolapse is when a woman’s organs become weak and drop down into areas of the vagina. The mesh is inserted through the vagina as a means to prevent the symptoms associated with pelvic organ prolapses. The mesh provides support and acts as a bridge to hold up the organs that can drop down in the vaginal area.

A stress urinary continence is a condition that happens when a leakage in the bladder occurs due to increased pressure on the bladder. This is often the result of increased physical activity. The transvaginal mesh is inserted to provide support to the urethra when the muscles around it begin to weaken.

Transvaginal mesh gets its name from the way it’s inserted into the body. Doctors place the mesh through the vagina which allows for a much less invasive and difficult surgical process. The mesh can also be inserted through the abdomen, but the surgery is much more difficult.

When the mesh was first being used in the early 1950’s, doctors would often use a small piece of plastic mesh that was custom designed for the woman needing the procedure. As medical manufacturing companies began to notice this trend, they started to develop mesh pieces designed to be inserted through the vagina.

While transvaginal surgery is much less invasive, it does have a higher rate of complications that can occur. The surgery can also result in the need for additional revision surgeries as well as other serious side effects.

Side Effects

There are a number of significant side effects associated with transvaginal mesh surgery. These complications can include the following symptoms:

• Pain
• Infection
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Urinary Problems
• Vaginal Shrinkage
• Vaginal Erosion
• Organ Perforation

Organ perforation occurs when the mesh begins to interfere with the functions of other organs in the body. As the mesh makes its place above the vagina, it can sometimes move around. Its edges can begin to damage organs in the area around the vagina and cause serious damage.

These side effects are common amongst women undergoing transvaginal mesh surgery. The FDA estimated that in 2011 around 4,000 women experienced serious complications associated with transvaginal meshes.

When certain side effects occur, they can require what is known as “revision surgery.” This type of surgery is used to correct the way the mesh was inserted and eliminate any of the side effects.

For many types of surgery, this process is not that difficult. Surgery revision in other types of procedures can often be completed in one session. This is not the case for women undergoing transvaginal mesh revision surgery. Because the mesh is meant to be inserted and left inside the body permanently, it is not designed to be removed. When it results in such serious complications that it must be removed, it is often a difficult process. Blood vessels and other tissues often grow around the mesh piece. This forces doctors to extract the mesh throughout multiple surgeries by removing only one piece at a time.

Lawsuits

There have been an enormous number of lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of transvaginal mesh. The FDA began issuing warnings in 2008 regarding the safety concerns of the mesh. Prior to releasing the transvaginal mesh devices to be used in the public, manufacturers did not test them inside any humans and allowed them to be used anyway.

Multiple people have been rewarded significant sums of money following the transvaginal mesh procedures. Linda Gross was awarded 11.11 million dollars from Johnson & Johnson. The jury in the case found that Johnson & Johnson had a substantial reason to believe that transvaginal mesh could cause significant harm to those undergoing the procedure and that they failed to warn anyone of those dangers.

Gross was forced to participate in 18 various surgeries following the initial implementation of the transvaginal mesh. Unfortunately, none of these surgeries guaranteed that the symptoms would disappear following the surgery and Linda Gross has still faced complications from the transvaginal mesh.

Another striking lawsuit comes from Endo Health solutions. The company was forced to pay over 54 million dollars to patients that had received the transvaginal mesh devices.

Medical Compensation for Side Effects

Lawsuits can be filed against the makers of the mesh for developing a faulty product. If you have suffered at the hands of a faulty pelvic mesh implant, please request a free, no obligation case evaluation.

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