Another vaginal mesh lawsuit has been added to the mounting number of lawsuits filed against Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, alleging that the company fraudulently concealed the dangers of vaginal mesh devices and that it has violated consumer protection laws.

According to the vaginal mesh lawsuit multi district litigation (MDL), Ethicon negligently manufactured and sold defective and unreasonably dangerous products, and subsequently withheld information from consumers and the medical community about the risk that surgical mesh may erode through the vagina, causing infections and other serious complications.

Among the most recent vaginal mesh lawsuits filed is that of a Kansas woman. Plaintiff Jennifer H. filed her Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the District of Kansas Topeka Division in the beginning of August this year.

Jennifer claims that Ethicon manufactured TVT mesh device implanted surgically in her in June 2005 and again in December 2013 was negligently designed, thereby causing serious side effects such as mesh erosion, chronic pain, and other vaginal mesh complications.

What Does Vaginal Mesh Do?

Vaginal Mesh and Transvaginal Tension Free Vaginal Tape (TVT mesh) are medical devices that are surgically implanted to treat pelvic organ prolapse and/or stress urinary incontinence.

Transvaginal mesh surgery is supposed to strengthen the internal organs and prevent them from coming into contact with each other by implanting mesh tape to create extra support.

Vaginal Mesh Complications

A significant number of the adverse events reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding pelvic mesh implants are due to mesh erosion side effects. Mesh erosion through the vaginal tissue can cause pain, bleeding, and infection.

Common symptoms of vaginal mesh failure include:

• Urinary incontinence
• Abdominal pain
• Pelvic or mesh pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Bleeding

The injuries that women are reportedly suffering from TVT mesh implants are severe, debilitating, and could have been avoided had consumers been properly informed.

According to several vaginal mesh lawsuits, the edges of the mesh or bladder sling cut through the skin after implantation, thus causing infection, cutting into nearby structures, and sometimes puncturing the bladder, bowel, and uterus.

Complications from these infections include incontinence, extreme pain during intercourse, urinary tract infection, back pain, inability to walk, among other vaginal mesh complications. Some of these infections spread through the whole body and can lead to death.

Ethicon Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits

Nearly 100,000 individual vaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed against various mesh manufacturers in the United States as a result of these alleged vaginal mesh injuries.

The transvaginal mesh lawsuits allege that the manufacturers sold defective and unreasonably dangerous products, in addition to withholding information from consumers and the medical community about the risk that the vaginal mesh may erode through the vagina, causing infections and other injuries.

In her individual vaginal mesh lawsuit, Jennifer H. is seeking restitution and punitive damages for Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson’s alleged gross negligence and failure to warn about dangerous vaginal mesh complications.

The Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-11777 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas Topeka Division and the Ethicon Transvaginal Mesh MDL is In re: Ethicon Inc. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327,in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.