Alabama Hernia Mesh Injury Lawyer

Compassionate Representation for Victims of Defective Hernia Mesh Implants

If you or a loved one experienced serious harm from a hernia mesh implant, you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries and losses, our hernia mesh injury lawyer can help.

Hernia repairs are a common surgery performed in the United States. Typically these procedures are simple and proceed safely. However, some result in complications that can result in lifelong medical issues for the patient. Recently, many of these issues can be traced back to a medical device called a hernia mesh. The Alabama injury lawyers at Mezrano Law Firm work to hold the guilty parties accountable. Come talk to us today.

What is Hernia Mesh?

A hernia happens when an internal organ or other body part protrudes through the wall of muscle or tissue that contains it. A hernia mesh is used during a hernia repair surgery to support weakened or damaged tissue. The mesh can be made of various materials, like woven fibers, or pressed from a sheet of synthetic or natural materials. The intent of a hernia mesh is to reduce the recurrence of a hernia and shorten recovery time.

However, as you may be aware, recently, there’s been a spate of product liability lawsuits against various hernia mesh manufacturers. Thousands of victims have stepped forward, alleging they suffered from hernia mesh injuries.

About Hernia Mesh Injuries

Many hernias, especially abdominal wall hernias, require surgical correction. Surgeons can often repair a hernia without using a hernia mesh or a biologic mesh, which holds fewer risks than much synthetic mesh currently on the market.

Unfortunately, many of today’s synthetic hernia mesh products were rushed through to market through the FDA’s 510(K) approval process. Suppose a product manufacturer shows that their medical device is “substantially equivalent” to an existing medically approved device. In that case, they can apply through this streamlined process that doesn’t require them to do any studies or safety testing.

As a result, several hernia mesh products contain design defects and unknown risks. The mesh can move around or shrink, possibly causing bowel or organ perforations, internal damage, obstructions, and the need for additional surgeries. Perforations can also result in sepsis or death.

Common Hernia Mesh Injuries

The materials used to make hernia mesh can cause injuries. Some mesh is coated in fish oil, which can cause allergic reactions or scar tissue sticking together. Many are made with polypropylene, which can degrade over time and shrink, causing irritation, immune system problems, or worse.

Some of the most common injuries caused by hernia mesh complications include:

• Adhesions. This is scar tissue that forms between body tissues due to trauma. Left untreated, it can lead to chronic pain, obstructions, infertility, and digestive problems.
• Infections. When an infection sets in around surgical mesh, it can be challenging to treat and require additional surgery.
• Bowel obstructions. Hernia mesh is also linked to intestinal blockages. If not treated immediately, these can restrict blood flow, cause part of the bowel to die, and need to be removed.
• Bowel/intestinal perforation. If hernia mesh erodes or punctures through bodily tissues, it can lead to life-threatening blood infections like peritonitis and sepsis.
• Mesh rejection. Some of the materials and coatings used in hernia mesh can trigger an immune response in the body, and it will attempt to reject the mesh.
• Mesh migration. Hernia mesh can spontaneously detach after surgery and migrate inside the body, causing injuries like infection, abscesses, or organ perforation.
• Fistulas. Fistulas form when damaged, or inflamed organs develop abnormal connections to adjacent tissues or structures.
• Hernia recurrence. A recurrence typically requires a second surgery, bringing an entirely new risk. Ethicon recalled its Physiomesh medical device in 2016 due to its high rate of hernia recurrence.

Hernia Mesh Manufacturers and Liability

Any manufacturer or creator of a medical device is required by law to follow specific safety standards to protect patients and consumers from injury. However, this isn’t always successful, as evidenced by the thousands of defective medical device cases currently in the United States legal system.

Various ways a hernia mesh manufacturer may be liable for negligence include:

• Improper safety testing
• Failure to warn of product dangers or complications
• Lack of research or studies during product design and manufacturing

Although many of the brands of hernia mesh causing the most complications have already been recalled, many remain on the market, and patients should be vigilant concerning their health.

Complications from hernia mesh devices can cause chronic and long-term pain, multiple surgeries, ongoing medical bills, and lost paychecks. If this has happened to you, you deserve compensation.

Compensation for Alabama Hernia Mesh Injuries

Typical compensation for injuries and damages caused by defective hernia mesh include:

• Past and future medical expenses, including surgeries, medications, treatments, prescriptions, and physical therapy.
• Past and future pain and suffering caused by your injuries
• Past and future wage loss
• Punitive damages, if appropriate

Experienced, Reliable Alabama Hernia Mesh Injury Lawyer

At Mezrano Law Firm, our legal team can help if you or a loved one is experiencing a hernia mesh complication injury. We’ll protect your rights and fight for compensation on your behalf.