A Pennsylvania man has filed a short form complaint regarding the Ethicon Physiomesh problems he suffered as a result of implantation of the mesh device.

James M. has filed this Ethicon Physiomesh problems lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon Inc. He was implanted with the Ethicon hernia mesh product in April 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He and many other plaintiffs in this multidistrict litigation (MDL) have claimed that the mesh products produced by Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson are defective and cause many problems.

What is Hernia Mesh?

Hernia mesh is a screen-like medical device that is used to strengthen the abdominal wall in the case of a hernia. It can also be used to help repair other weakened tissue due to hernias.

A lot of hernias happen in the wall of the abdomen, but some occur in the groin, the belly button or on an incision site. Hernias can even occur in the diaphragm.

Hernias are usually painful and most of the time require simply watching and waiting to see if the hernia advances. If it does, it often requires surgery.

In the U.S. alone, doctors perform over one million hernia surgeries each year. But hernias often return. The use of a hernia mesh device can help with this problem and help to better repair the damaged tissue wall.

The American Medical Association also reports that the use of hernia mesh can lead to a lower recurrence of hernias.

Ethicon Physiomesh Problems

Hernia mesh can be made of absorbable or non-absorbable material, synthetic or organic, and it can take the shape of patches, plugs or sheets. Despite the successful use of hernia mesh, however, there are still many problems associated with its use.

Patients have reported Ethicon Physiomesh problems such as mesh failures, hernia recurrence, bowel obstructions and dense adhesions. Additionally, Ethicon Physiomesh problems include mesh migration, fistulas (abnormal connections between tissue, and in this case, connection of intestine to skin) and shrinkage.

Other doctors and patients have reported the mesh folding or bunching up, failure of the mesh to incorporate into the body and a painful physical or inflammatory reaction.

The year that the Ethicon Physiomesh was approved, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began receiving adverse event reports. Six years later, in 2016, the FDA had already taken in hundreds of reports of Ethicon Physiomesh problems by patients and doctors. Notably, the Ethicon Physiomesh device was approved through the FDA’s fast track approval process.

Also by 2016, an Urgent Field Safety Notice was issued by Ethicon because of Ethicon Physiomesh problems; the device was voluntarily withdrawn from the global market.

James is bringing forth claims of defective design, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, negligence, violation of consumer protection laws, gross negligence and loss of consortium.

This Ethicon Physiomesh problems lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-04089-RWS in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division and is part of MDL Docket no. 2782.