Surgical Mesh May Not Always Be the Solution to Pelvic Problems

Surgical mesh is often used for urogynecologic protocols such as mending pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. When the medical conditions is a weakened vaginal wall or organ prolapse, abdominal mesh is permanently implanted.

Despite the success of many mesh implants, there are a growing number of failures, and a number of persons are pursuing an abdominal mesh lawsuit for a solution.

Most Common Symptoms

The four  most common symptoms of mesh failure are:

• Unusual bleeding,
• Chronic infections,
• Atypical discharge,
• A new version of urinary incontinence

Can a Hernia Repair Without Mesh Be Performed?

Yes. Laparoscopic surgery can be done with or without mesh. The surgeon creates an incision close to the hernia and the muscle area to be repaired. The ‘fix’ can be performed either with or without mesh, and open repair often uses sutures without mesh.

Legal Remedies Pursued When Medical Remedies Fail

With mounting lawsuits, physicians insist surgical mesh is an integral and beneficial tool. That’s not always true.

Chrissy Brajcic was healthy and happy with two boys and a growing interior design business. She had surgery and got a mesh implant to treat a common female disorder. She became housebound and bedridden before dying in November. Her case made global news, and questions were raised about plastic mesh safety.

Chrissy had stress urinary incontinence — trouble controlling urine. It was a phenomenon which, for her, began after having her second child.

Before dying, Chrissy told her story to local reporters. “He described the procedure as simple,” Chrissy said. “Within hours of my surgery, I knew something wasn’t right.”

“The pain got worse and worse and it felt my insides were being ripped out,” she continued.

It took a year to find a physician with the skills to remove the mesh. Hers was removed in a five-hour procedure. She was still in pain when the implant was gone.

Her family sought an attorney who could file an abdominal mesh lawsuit.  They were too late, as Chrissy died before the case could be heard.

In America, mesh patients have registered more than 100,000 cases against companies like CR Bard and Johnson & Johnson.

First coming on the market in the ‘90s, mesh makes developed kits to treat pelvic organ prolapse — a condition which the muscles retaining pelvic organs become weakened.

Companies pushed their products as a faster, and easier, method to fix the conditions. Physicians could do the procedure in less than an hour and patients went home the same day.

That started to change in 2008. The Food and Drug Administration sent out a safety warning about potential complications — such as pain, tissue erosion and infection

Hernia Mesh

Hernia mesh, a medical device used in around 100,000 hernia repairs, it has become the standard of care. Surgeon John Morrison is seeing hernia mesh cause problems.

“I have seen hernia mesh erode into the tissues as well as the spermatic cord,” Morrison said.

Keith Richter, 26-years-old, said his mesh implant triggered severe pain and he couldn’t play hockey or go skateboarding — two things he loves.

“It sucks,” Richter told reporters. He was able to get his implant removed and has joined a class action lawsuit against the implant’s maker.

The Takeaway

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE, published guidelines saying there is insufficient evidence on the safety of laparoscopic mesh procedures or organ prolapse.