Johnson & Johnson is facing a mesh implant for hernia lawsuit from a Virginia woman alleging the company’s defective product had compounded her hernia condition.

The woman alleges themesh implant for hernia lawsuit was necessary because she had relied on the marketing materials presented by Johnson & Johnson, in which the company allegedly did not properly disclose potential complications.

Plaintiff Melissa S. had opted for a mesh implant for hernia lawsuit after discovering the allegedly defective nature of the company’s hernia mesh product. According to the hernia mesh lawsuit, Melissa had the Physiomesh product implanted on July 30, 2013 for incarcerated recurrent ventral hernia repair.

According to the hernia mesh lawsuit, Melissa had to undergo this surgery another time for recurrent ventral hernia, as well as pain and adhesion with a partial small bowel obstruction. Melissa says she had to eventually undergo revision surgery on Jan. 18, 2017, due to recurrent incisional hernia repair.

Overview of Physiomesh Complications

Surgical mesh has been used for over 50 years for hernia repair. Hernia mesh is a net like structure that is implanted into the abdominal wall for support.

Johnson & Johnson’s Physiomesh product is a unique design that consists of five layers, two of which are made of polyglecaprone-25 (“Monocryl”) film. This film covers two other lower layers of polydioxanone film (“PDS”), which turns into a coating for the polypropylene mesh. This design is unique among hernia mesh products, with the coating meant to minimize the risks of adhesions and inflammation.

Physiomesh was marketed as a safe and reliable hernia mesh treatment product that can be implanted inside the patient. However, the company’s Physiomesh product has been linked to a number of different side effects, including chronic pain, hernia recurrence, infection, inflammation, rejection, adhesion to internal organs, nerve damage, tissue damage, and even death.

Johnson & Johnson eventually had to withdraw their Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh from the market in May of 2016, after studies found that Physiomesh medical devices had higher revision surgery rates than expected. Signs of early hernia mesh failure include the incision site not properly healing and generating heat, which often indicates infection.

The infection may lead to the development of biofilms, which are organized colonies of bacteria. Patients will often develop fever and other flu like symptoms, and severe chronic pain. Due to the complications mentioned above, patients are often forced to undergo revision surgery to resolve any hernia mesh injuries.

Revision surgery is considered riskier than the initial implant surgery, due to higher risk of infection. Melissa allegedly suffered a number of these device complications, spurring her to file mesh implant for hernia lawsuit after discovering that the company may have known about the defective nature of their hernia mesh.

Melissa ‘s mesh implant for hernia lawsuit alleges the Physiomesh product had caused an adverse biological reaction, leading to an intense inflammatory response. Melissa states she would not have opted for the Physiomesh hernia mesh product if she had known about the potential device complications and high rates of revision surgery.

Melissa is filing this mesh implant for hernia lawsuit seeking multiple damages including negligence and failure to warn.

This Mesh Implant for Hernia Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02334-PGS-DEA, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.