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Legal Fights for Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Author: John Epperson
by John Epperson
Posted: May 23, 2018

How it all started

With growing age, women's pelvic muscles start to weaken which results in various complications. The transvaginal mesh or as commonly referred to bladder slings were introduced in the 1990s to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) as well as stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The popularity of the treatment reached sky-high amongst women all across the globe, unknowing of the further health complications. Unfortunately, FDA approved the mesh products as the initial tests had positive reviews. And, it rushed several big pharmaceutical companies to manufacture their individual brands of this medical device. While many women did not have any problem, more than tens of thousands of patients suffered from severe health complications post the implant surgery. Thousands of transvaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturing company for hiding the potential side effects of the device.

Complications with transvaginal mesh

The most common side effect of transvaginal implant is mesh erosion. Generally, polyester and polypropylene are used for manufacturing the surgical mesh products which are considered to be strong and long-lasting. Unfortunately, there were hundreds of complaints about the quality of mesh.

The usual symptoms of mesh erosion include but not limited to:

    • painful urination
    • recurring yeast infection in the bladder
    • bleeding
    • spasms in the pelvic area
    • painful intercourse

Patients who face any of the above difficulties must immediately go for pelvic examination, ultrasound, cystography or colonoscopy. A delayed checkup can lead to further complications like severe infection.

Treating the complications

The only way to get rid of the eroded parts is to go for a mesh removal surgery. Since the original procedure is intended to be permanent in nature, it becomes very difficult to re-stitch the area surrounding the vaginal tissues. The corrective procedure is a much more complicated method than the original implant. Here, incisions are made through the vaginal wall to clear all the mesh particles and then stitched again. This sometimes can make the situation worse and return the original symptoms of POP and SUI. It might also cause pain, incontinence, and pressure while weakening the pelvic muscles.

Legal steps

The victims of these defective medical products often experience financial hardships due to the medical expenses and time off work. They can apply for transvaginal mesh lawsuits with the help of experienced mesh lawsuit attorneys and can be even eligible for a financial compensation. The mesh manufacturers had to pay millions of dollars for compensation in the past decade for the settlement of personal injury claims.

Use of transvaginal mesh exposes the patients to unwanted health risks and leaves not only physical scars but psychological traumas as well. They can claim for the ongoing medical expenses along with the future expenses. The lawsuits allege the manufacturing companies for concealing the health complications associated with the mesh implants. FDA released an urgent public health notification to patients and physicians in 2011 stating about the dangers of the surgical placement of transvaginal mesh. The manufacturing companies have misrepresented their product prioritizing their profit scales and putting public health at stake.

About the Author

The author is an experienced legal advisor who has been attending cases of transvaginal mesh complications and also helped many women in getting justice.

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Author: John Epperson

John Epperson

Member since: Mar 21, 2016
Published articles: 2

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