Clients constantly call us with stories of pain, infection, nerve entrapment, mesh migration, and intestinal erosion. They are unable to work and relations with loved ones have drastically changed due to synthetic hernia mesh failure. “When I hear ‘I can’t stand this anymore, but my surgeon says it’s too difficult to take it out,’ I feel terrible for my client. No one ever told these patients how mesh failure could make them so miserable.”
Quietly, an increasing number of surgeons have moved to fixing hernia with biodegradable sutures or mesh. They refuse to get on the synthetic mesh “money mill” that manufacturers, surgeons and hospitals love so much. There is a $50 billion hernia mesh international industry of quick fixes while not caring what happens afterward.
Mesh Is Not Made to Last Forever, And Failures Cause Significant Injuries, Infections and Long Hospital Stays
Hernia mesh companies, the FDA and some surgeons don’t tell patients the many ways your body’s immune response tries to attack the mesh, including the creation of big scars. Pain may start off as low-grade and fleeting. However, this becomes chronic as your body increases the attack. Worse yet, the mesh shrinks and migrates getting tangled in nerves in tissue it should not be near. Here are some mesh types that have failures with serious complications:
- Composite, Composix, Multi-layered meshes: These contain at least two different types of polypropylene and weaving styles which shrink at different rates leading to re-herniation, migration, erosions requiring open surgery for repairs.
- Three Dimensional Meshes: These are often used for inguinal hernias. There’s a top, bottom and connection mesh which leads to nerve entrapment and muscle deformation. Sadly, many surgeons tell patients that these meshes can’t be removed because it would just make it worse.
- Heavyweight, Small Pore Mesh: Commonly used in the past, the polypropylene threads are thick and narrowly spaced. Because of the greater polypropylene surface are, there is a larger immunological attack. This leads to significant scarring known as adhesions. Surgeons can be reluctant to undertake are reluctant to remove this and finding an experience surgeon is important.
- Expanded Teflon Meshes: Surgeons have largely stopped using these due to scarring, migration, infection and erosion.
- Coated and Layered Meshes: The underside of the meshes have barriers which are supposed to prevent scarring with internal organs. These just don’t work and the mesh heavily scars causing intestinal blockage.
Our Law Firm Does The Medical And Legal Detective Work
“There are many pieces of the puzzle. You can’t see hernia mesh on an x-ray, but we combine what the client says they feel with what know about the mesh failure modes.” The ultimate evidence is what a doctor sees when the mesh has to be repaired.
Call today to discuss your potential hernia mesh case with our award-winning legal team! Free consultations are available
