Have you had hernia repair surgery? Has the surgeon used a hernia mesh implant to repair and strengthen the hernia's muscle and tissue damage? And, have you experienced negative consequences from the implant that have reduced your quality of life? If so, do you have legal recourse?
These questions are valid and deserve a considered answer.
By way of answering these questions, let’s look at a definition of a hernia and the hernia mesh implant before we discuss the hernia mesh lawsuit.
What is a hernia?
Webmd.com notes that a hernia occurs when “an organ or fatty tissue squeezes through a weak spot in a surrounding muscle or connective tissue called fascia.”
The most common hernias occur in the inner groin (inguinal), outer groin (femoral), belly button (umbilical), and upper stomach (hiatal). Finally, an incisional hernia can also occur when a surgical incision does not heal properly, and the surrounding tissue pushes through the incision site.
Hernias can be dangerous if not repaired. For example, if you recently had abdominal surgery, the intestine can push through the operation site, resulting in an incisional hernia. If this is not repaired, the intestine that has pushed through the incision area can die off, resulting in the need for major surgery to repair the hernia and remove the piece of the intestine that has died. If not attended to, this hernia can result in abdominal sepsis, which can be life-threatening.
What is a hernia mesh implant?
The fda.gov website defines surgical mesh “is a medical device that is used to provide additional support to weakened or damaged tissue”
The surgical mesh implant is either manufactured from animal tissue such as intestines or skin or synthetic materials. The animal tissue implant is absorbable and has been processed and disinfected before inserted into the human body.
Juxtapositionally, the synthetic mesh implant is non-absorbable, and it will remain in the body indefinitely. Therefore, it is considered a permanent implant.
The medical health consequences of hernia mesh implants
Unfortunately, there have been and are complications from the hernia mesh implants. These complications have resulted in chronic and severe pain, constipation, indigestion, sexual dysfunction, chronic infection, and diarrhea. Often additional surgery is required to resolve the issues caused by the hernia mesh implant.
Even though there are currently tens of thousands of lawsuits against multiple hernia mesh implant manufacturers, the product is still available for use and are being used by surgeons.
It is also reasonable to assume that if you are facing these issues, your quality of life is not great. Therefore, the question that begs is what can you do about the daily challenges of mesh implant surgery?
The simple answer is to consult with an attorney.
You might be entitled to financial compensation from the hernia mesh implant manufacturers. The best thing to do is to consult with an attorney to determine whether you are eligible to bring a lawsuit against the manufacturers of your hernia mesh implant.
