The recipient of a Ventralight hernia mesh says its manufacturers failed to issue proper warnings about the risks associated with their product.

Plaintiff Celestine B. files the Ventralight hernia mesh lawsuit in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit was filed on July 19, 2018.

According to the Ventralight hernia mesh lawsuit, Celestine is a resident of Colquitt County, Ga. She says that she was diagnosed with an incisional hernia on July 19, 2016 and underwent incisional hernia repair with a Ventralight hernia mesh.

Celestine claims she suffered severe adverse side effects and complications following the device’s implantation. According to the Ventralight hernia mesh lawsuit, she says that she “experienced significant mental and physical pain and suffering and mental anguish, has sustained permanent injury, has undergone medical treatment and will likely undergo further medical treatment and procedures, has suffered financial or economic loss, and/or lost income, and other damages.”

The Ventralight hernia mesh lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including negligence, design defect, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, and violation of consumer protection laws. Celestine demands a trial by jury.

Overview: Ventralight Hernia Mesh

Patients like Celestine have filed hernia mesh lawsuits alleging they developed severe adverse side effects after hernia mesh surgery. Several lawsuits have been filed against C.R. Bard Inc., alleging the company’s mesh implants are responsible for those complications.

In addition to the Ventralex Patch, other mesh implants involved in lawsuits include the Perfix Mesh, 3DMax Mesh, Ventralex ST Mesh, Sepramesh IP Composite Mesh, and Composix E/X Mesh.

Some of the injuries claimed in hernia mesh lawsuits include:

• Infection
• Mesh failure
• Bowel obstruction
• Adherence (becoming stuck to internal tissue)
• Perforation of organs or tissue
• Migration (moving from where the mesh was implanted)
• Seromas that require surgery

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), hernias occur when an organ pushes through a connective tissue or muscle. Any combination of pressure can result in a hernia. Often, however, a hernia occurs at the wall of the abdomen. Several other causes for hernias may also include the lifting of heavy objects; through having to cough or sneeze a lot; having constipation or diarrhea; and through obesity.

Patients who’ve allegedly suffered complications from the Ventralight hernia mesh and other mesh implants are raising claims such as:

• Negligent design and marketing of the hernia mesh
• Intentional misrepresentation of the effectiveness and safety of the hernia mesh
• Failing to warn the public about the mesh’s risks
• Failing to sufficiently and adequately test hernia mesh
• Manufacturing a defective product
• Knowingly and intentionally concealing information regarding the mesh’s defectiveness

Side effects following hernia repair surgery and implantation of hernia mesh are blamed on the mesh itself, which is comprised of polypropylene, a petroleum-based plastic. According to plaintiffs, this composition is bio-incompatible, cytotoxic, and immunogenic. Patients claim this material is contributing to complications that include delayed wound healing, inflammation, foreign body response, rejection, infection, and other side effects.

The Ventralight Hernia Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-11806-KM-MAH, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.