Research Documents Serious Risks

Research published in 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine measured the effectiveness of the transvaginal mesh patch compared to that of colporrhaphy, the traditional treatment of stitching connective tissue in the vaginal wall back together. The study found that the mesh patch had higher risk of harm or defect, including:

• a 7 times greater risk of bladder perforation than colporrhaphy
• a 3.2% chance follow-up surgery will be required

Get an Advocate

If your health has suffered from being implanted with transvaginal mesh, you need to seek help. Our attorneys have experience with cases like yours, and we consult with medical experts to strengthen your case. Our attorneys can help you get the compensation you deserve from the manufacturer of the product that was supposed to help you but instead did you harm. Consultations are free and confidential.

Call us today at: (800) 639-6580

Complications of Transvaginal Mesh Patches Include:

• Erosion of the vaginal epithelium
• Serious infection
• Return of prolapse
• Urinary incontinence
• Severe bleeding
• Bladder perforation

Updates on Transvaginal Mesh Dangers

• January 2013 — MESH CASES HEAD TO TRIAL: The first of 1,800 cases filed in New Jersey heads to trial as a woman who needed 18 surgeries after she was implanted with mesh seeks justice from John & Johnson, the manufacturer of the product. Other trials will follow.
• October 2012 — DOCTORS TAKE NOTICE: A survey presented to the American Urogynecologic Society found doctors are less likely to use transvaginal mesh for recurring pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in light of the FDA’s 2011 warning.
• January 2012 — FDA MAY RECLASSIFY MESH: The FDA is considering moving transvaginal mesh implants to a higher class of device classification, which is reserved for the most risky of medical devices.
• January 2012 — FDA DEMANDS FURTHER TESTING: The FDA mandated that several transvaginal mesh manufacturers immediately conduct testing of the device’s risk to women. If they had done this testing from the beginning, they might have prevented many women from suffering terrible complications.
• July 2011 — FDA WARNING: An FDA Safety Alert warned that serious complications associated with the surgical mesh patches are not rare. The agency announced that surgical mesh treatment of pelvic organ prolapse may be no more effective than the traditional non-mesh repair, though it poses greater risks to the patient. 

What the Transvaginal Mesh Patch Does

Tranvaginal mesh is used to strengthen the vaginal wall, which can be weakened or damaged by significant stretching, like that associated with childbirth. The vaginal wall physically supports nearby organs, and a prolapse can occur without that support. This is known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

More than 9,000 Women Have Filed Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits Against Manufacturers

Women from across the U.S. have already taken a stand by filing claims against the negligent manufacturers of transvaginal mesh patches. The purpose of the suits is two-fold. They allow women the opportunity to receive much-deserved compensation for their financial losses, as well as their physical and emotional suffering. Additionally, their claims may lead the irresponsible manufacturers of transvaginal patches or the FDA to pull the products from the market, thus sparing other women from the suffering caused by the patches.

Manufacturers include:

• C.R. Bard
• Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon
• American Medical Systems
• Boston Scientific
• Coloplast

Complications have been reported for several other manufacturers of surgical mesh as well, including:

• Covidien
• Sofradim
• Caldera
• Mentor Corporation