A C-Qur mesh lawsuit has been filed by a woman who alleges the surgical mesh failed, necessitating its removal.

Plaintiff Ethel A. had hernia surgery on Oct. 23, 2014. Her doctor used Atrium’s C-Qur mesh to reinforce the hernia repair. Ethel experienced infection, pain and abscess necessitating surgery to remove the mesh in July 2015.

Ethel says she continues to suffer complications and undergo treatment, has endured financial losses, and her personal relationships have been impaired.

Ethel’s C-Qur mesh lawsuit is a short-form complaint that joins an MDL against Atrium Medical Corporation’s C-Qur line of hernia mesh products.

C-Qur Mesh Lawsuit Points to Products’ Problems

Atrium’s hernia mesh products contain polypropylene mesh, a product promoted as an inert material. The C-Qur mesh lawsuit claims “a substantial body of scientific evidence shows that this mesh material is biologically incompatible with human tissue and promotes an immune response in a large subset of the population” who receive mesh implants.

The human body can promote the degradation of the mesh and to the surrounding tissue, contributing to severe adverse reactions to the polypropylene mesh.

The companies that supply polypropylene in various forms allegedly warn on their United States Material Safety Data Sheet (“MSDS”) that implanting polypropylene permanently into the human body is prohibited.

The polypropylene-based C-Qur mesh products “are designed, intended, and utilized for permanent implantation into the human body.”

Plaintiffs allege no warnings were given to physicians, regulatory agencies or consumers regarding the severe and life-threatening risks associated with polypropylene.

Another danger is the blend of Omega 3 Fatty Acid Fish Oil (“O3FA”) coating on the mesh products. The O3FA is derived from fish, a common allergen.

According to the C-Qur mesh lawsuit, “If various remnants of the fish, such as proteins, remain in the O3FA coating, allergic reactions can occur, ranging from increased sensitivity and rashes to death.”

Despite the FDA and other worldwide regulatory agencies expressing concerns of possible deadly allergic reactions to the O3FA coating, the manufacturer forged ahead with the product.

The C-Qur mesh lawsuit says, “Upon receiving reports from surgeons and physicians of apparent allergic reactions to the C-Qur Mesh, Defendants not only failed to notify the FDA, but misled physicians about the ability and tendency of O3FA to cause allergic reactions in patients implanted with a C-Qur Mesh and attempted to convince the physicians of alternate causes.”

The O3FA coating allegedly is not biocompatible, “resulting in complications such as delayed wound healing, inflammation, foreign body response, rejection, and death.”

The problems don’t end there. The C-Qur mesh is packaged in ethylene oxide, an effective disinfectant in moist environments, but too much moisture allows the O3FA coating to peel away from the mesh and stick to the packaging.

If the mesh is too dry prior to implantation, the ethylene oxide will lose its disinfecting properties, allowing infection to occur months or years after the mesh is implanted.

The C-Qur Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00383-LM in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.