Thousands of patients who have undergone hernia repair surgery, have suffered from persistent pain and permanent physical disability due to the use of defective hernia mesh. The involved types of mesh were utilized with the intention of reinforcing and supporting the weakened tissue that necessitated a hernia repair but, instead, have caused devastating injuries to many patients. The lawsuits filed against the manufacturers allege not only negligence but seek to hold manufacturers strictly liable for designing, manufacturing and distributing mesh that was defective and unreasonably dangerous to the patients in whom the mesh was implanted during surgery. Some of the major manufacturers involved in these legal claims include Bard/Davol, Atrium, Ethicon, Gore-Tex, Covidien, and LifeCell Corporation.
If you or a family member has suffered serious injuries due to the surgical implantation of defective hernia mesh, you may be able to obtain substantial compensation for pain and suffering, scarring, impaired quality of life, medical expenses, past and future lost income and other damages sustained because of dangerous and defective hernia mesh.
Because of the legal hurdles and strict time limitations on your ability to enforce your rights, it is essential to promptly consult with an experienced Florida product liability and defective hernia mesh attorney who can carefully evaluate your potential case.
Have You Been Injured by Hernia Mesh?
If you’ve had hernia repair surgery, your surgeon most likely used synthetic mesh to reinforce the repair and reduce the risk of recurrence. Some mesh-related complications may arise within days of the initial hernia surgery, while others may occur months or years later and require additional surgery to repair the hernia again or manage the complications. The complications often associated with surgical mesh are:
- Bowel perforation
- Bowel obstruction
- Damage to organs
- Hernia recurrence
- Infection
- Intestinal blockage
- Severe Chronic or Intermittent Pain
- Tissue Adhesion
According to the FDA, pain, infection, recurrence, adhesion, obstruction, and perforation are the most common complications associated with defective surgical mesh. If you had hernia surgery with surgical mesh and continue to suffer from any of these complications, you may have a serious mesh-related injury and should discuss your case with a qualified hernia mesh attorney as soon as possible.
Do You Have the Essential Information about Your Hernia Surgery?
When considering filing a hernia mesh lawsuit in Florida, it is important to know the date of your hernia surgery, the hospital where the surgery was performed, and the surgeon who performed the surgery. Brochures describing the surgery, consent forms, hospital discharge papers and reports on your post-operative care and treatment for mesh-related complications may all contain important information for your potential hernia mesh lawsuit.
However, identifying the manufacturer and model of the surgical mesh used in your surgery is critically important, since specific mesh products have been identified by researchers and courts as being dangerous and having caused injuries. For example, the synthetic material used in some mesh implants has been found to be incompatible with human tissue, leading to serious infections, inflammation and seromas. The coating of other mesh implants has reportedly detached and resulted in adhesions and adherence to internal organs; and the plastic rings used in still other mesh products have caused perforations, pain, obstructions and infections.
It’s unlikely that you know the type of surgical mesh used in your surgery, but this should not deter you from pursuing legal action. Your hernia mesh attorney can request your medical records to find out which mesh product was used in your surgery and see if it is one of the types known to have caused problems.
Do You Have Reasons for Filing a Hernia Mesh Lawsuit?
It doesn’t cost you anything to to speak to a lawyer about a hernia mesh lawsuit, and you’re not obligated to take legal action after talking to an attorney. It is important, though, to understand your legal rights and know that you have the right to hold hernia mesh manufacturers accountable for their negligence and strict liability as a result of developing, manufacturing and distributing dangerous, defective products.
More to the point, if you have been injured as a result of defective hernia mesh, you may have experienced the need for additional surgery, pain, scaring, an impaired quality of life and significant medical expense. With a lawsuit, you may be able to obtain substantial compensation for these losses and all the elements of damage available under Florida law.
Do I Need a Florida Hernia Mesh Attorney?
An experienced Florida hernia mesh product liability attorney can help you understand your legal rights and your best course of action. If you have a viable case, your attorney can amass the information necessary to prepare and vigorously prosecute a lawsuit to obtain the substantial compensation to which you are entitled.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Boyers Law Group for help with your case. Our trial lawyers have successfully represented many product liability victims and have the experience, skill and resources you need in order to obtain the life-changing compensation you deserve.
For a free consultation at your convenience, call us today at 800.545.9100 or submit the “Tell Us What Happened” form on our website.
Helpful Resources:
Baylon, K., Rodriguea-Camarillo, P., Elias-Zuniga, A., Diaz-Elizondo, J.A., Gilkerson, R., & Lozano, K. (2017, Sept). Past, present and future of surgical meshes: A review. Membranes (Basel). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5618132/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018). Hernia surgical mesh implants. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/implants-and-prosthetics/hernia-surgical-mesh-implants
