What Is Hernia Mesh?
Hernia mesh, also known as surgical mesh, is a medical device used to support the weakened muscles and tissue that lead to hernias. When a hernia occurs, doctors can apply surgical mesh to the impacted area, keeping the organ or tissue from squeezing through the muscle again.
The two main types of hernia mesh are absorbable and non-absorbable. Absorbable meshes are often made of animal tissue or synthetic materials and will disintegrate into your body over time as the injury heals. Non-absorbable meshes are permanent, and doctors may determine they’re necessary if the injury is unlikely to heal on its own.
Unfortunately, people who have surgical mesh implanted can sometimes suffer from adverse side effects that can range from mild to severe.
Defective Product Lawsuits
Defective product lawsuits are typically based on one of three types of defects: design, manufacturing, and warning defects. Examples of these types of product defects include:
- Defective Design – Some lawsuits allege that the surgical mesh was defective by design, which means that the flaw that caused the injury is inherent in the product’s design. For example, if the mesh is meant to be made from material that’s toxic, that would be a design defect.
- Defective Manufacturing – While less common, other lawsuits allege that the surgical mesh that caused their injury resulted from a manufacturing defect. For example, if the mesh broke down before the injury fully healed, that could be due to a fault in the production line that left some mesh less durable than it should have been.
- Defective Warning – The final type of surgical mesh lawsuit alleges that the manufacturer didn’t provide clear warnings of the dangers of using the mesh. Manufacturers are responsible for warning consumers about the known risks associated with using their products, such as whether a particular type of surgical mesh increases the patient’s cancer risk.
Injuries Resulting from Hernia Mesh Complications
Individuals can experience a wide variety of complications arising from surgical mesh use. Some of the most severe and common injuries include:
If you experience a fever and sweating a month or more after the surgery to implant the mesh, it could be a sign of infection. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, or you may need to undergo additional surgery to replace the mesh that caused the infection.
Hernia mesh can sometimes fail, resulting in the initial injury that caused the hernia not to heal completely. In these cases, the hernia may return, and you may need to have new mesh implanted.
You may suffer from chronic abdominal pain, nausea, or other symptoms that indicate a complication has occurred. Pain beyond what you would expect from the surgery may indicate that you suffered an internal injury.
Sometimes, the mesh can become separated from where doctors placed it and cause an obstruction of the bowels.
If you experienced any of the above conditions after your hernia mesh surgery, you may be eligible to seek compensation through a lawsuit. Complete our questionnaire to learn more about your eligibility.
Evidence Required for a Hernia Mesh Lawsuit
For a successful hernia mesh injury lawsuit, you’ll need to provide a few key pieces of evidence, including:
You must be able to show that you had hernia mesh implanted. Your attorney can obtain your medical records for this purpose.
You must have a diagnosis for a condition related to your hernia mesh that comes after the device was implanted in your body and that was caused by the mesh implant. Your medical records can outline the timeline of events, including your mesh use and injury diagnosis.
Your medical records should also detail the treatments you underwent to correct or treat the injury caused by the hernia mesh.
Finally, you must have suffered some kind of financial loss. Usually, medical bills or records of lost wages are enough to satisfy this criterion.
Compensation Available for Hernia Mesh Injury Victims
The compensation you can seek through a hernia mesh lawsuit includes money for:
- Medical Expenses – Compensation for your past and future medical expenses, including surgeries, prescription medications, medical treatments, and medical devices.
- Lost Wages – Compensation for your past lost wages and future loss of earning potential due to your injury’s impact on your ability to work.
- Pain and Suffering – Compensation for the physical pain and suffering you experienced due to your injury.
- Emotional Distress – Compensation for the emotional distress you experienced due to the hernia mesh complications. For example, if you were diagnosed with cancer connected to the hernia mesh, that can be very traumatic.
- Loss of Consortium – If your injury impacts your relationship with your spouse, they may be able to seek compensation for loss of consortium.
Contact a Hernia Mesh Injury Lawyer
If you suffered an injury caused by defective hernia mesh, complete our questionnaire to determine whether you’re eligible to file a lawsuit to pursue compensation. The lawyers of Ron Bell Law can help you seek the money you deserve.