Patients who have ever had a painful hernia may be likely to do anything their doctor says to erase the pain. But surgical repair of a hernia may lead to complications with hernia mesh that are worse than the original hernia.

Hernias develop when the body’s tissue is either damaged or weak and organs pushe through that tissue into an area where they don’t belong. The most common hernia is an inguinal hernia, accounting for about 75% of all hernias.

The other types of hernias include hiatal hernias in the stomach and upper abdomen, femoral hernias, ventral hernias and incisional hernias.

Some children are born with hernias at birth, and others are acquired later on in a person’s life. Sometimes, hernias can lead to other problems so doctors choose to repair them to fix the issue at hand as well as to prevent any additional problems from occurring.

However, there are complications with hernia mesh that are not widely known by patients. In general, although many patients sign pages upon pages of paperwork for treatments and procedures, many patients feel uninformed about the possible risks that are associated with the treatments they choose to undergo.

Complications with hernia mesh are no exception. Physicians and surgeons may not fully inform patients during a consultation of all the possibilities of problems that may result from hernia mesh. This poses several problems.

First, patients are not receiving full informed consent before these procedures are undertaken. And for another, patients may dismiss some symptoms that can be signs of complications with hernia mesh. By the time they realize problems with their hernia repair could be the issue, damage to their body may be severe.

Complications with Hernia Mesh

One of several complications with hernia mesh is the chance that the hernia mesh will be rejected by the body.

Anytime a foreign substance is placed into the body, whether it be hernia mesh product, vaccines, surgical implants or permanent birth control, there is a risk of the body producing an exaggerated response as a reaction to the non-native substance.

With hernia mesh, the body may try to get rid of the product by mounting an inflammatory response in hopes to eradicate it in the same the way it responds to other foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses.

Other times, the mesh itself may create complications from hernia mesh in the body. The hernia mesh may migrate to other places of the body and not stay where it was initially implanted. The hernia mesh may be surrounded with infection and may cause pain.

For some, the mesh may shrink, pulling on the organs where it was implanted and causing pain and other injuries. Fistulas, which are abnormal connections in the body between hollow spaces, and seromas, fluid-filled pockets, may also develop as a result of complications with hernia mesh.

Hernia mesh may cause scar tissue to form as well as adhesions, and this can cause more inflammation and pain. There have also been reports of organ perforation, bowel and intestinal obstruction and nerve damage resulting from complications with hernia mesh.

What to Do If You Have Suffered Complications with Hernia Mesh

If you have suffered complications with hernia mesh, you may be entitled to legal compensation. Attorneys are available to consult with you and review your case at no charge to you during a no-obligation consultation. Plaintiffs who go on to file hernia mesh lawsuits may be able to recover damages related to their medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.