A woman from California filed a lawsuit alleging she needed to undergo revision surgery due to hernia mesh failure symptoms, which were allegedly caused by C.R. Bard and Johnson & Johnson’s hernia mesh products.

The woman opted to file legal action against the companies after reportedly discovering that the polypropylene material in the device was allegedly defective and was unfit for patient use.

According to the claim, plaintiff Frances R. underwent hernia repair surgery for typical treatment purposes, with the Ethicon Proceed Ventral Patch implanted on Sept. 25, 2009.

Hernia mesh is surgical mesh implemented for hernia repair, by helping support weakened tissue or to close an opening in damaged muscle that allows for the hernia to pass through.

The Bard Ventrio Patch consists of polypropylene layers that are supposed to encourage swelling and healing in the damaged muscle. However, polypropylene material has been associated with serious complications related to hernia mesh infection.

This was allegedly the case with Frances, with the lawsuit stating she suffered serious hernia mesh failure symptoms from two hernia mesh products.

Overview of Hernia Mesh Complications

According to the hernia mesh lawsuit, Frances suffered a multitude of hernia mesh complications soon after the Ethicon Proceed Ventral Patch was implanted.

On June 1, 2010, Frances reportedly had to undergo an additional surgery for exploration and removal of at least part of the hernia mesh patch. According to the surgeon’s notes in the lawsuit, removing the mesh was difficult due to a large amount of granulated tissue.

Frances reportedly had to undergo hernia mesh revision surgery due to painful complications related to bowel adhesions, with surgeons noting the mesh may have migrated from the surgical site.

Due to the serious nature of these injuries, Frances reportedly had to undergo multiple revision surgeries in a short time span including one on April 18, 2011, to explore an infected sinus tract and one on Aug. 30, 2011 to repair a recurrent ventral hernia.

The lawsuit states that during the last revision surgery, Frances had the Bard Ventrio Patch implanted to treat the hernia with surgeons noting that she had suffered small bowel adhesions and had to repair a small portion of the muscles.

However, the lawsuit states that Frances ultimately had to undergo a hysterectomy on July 21, 2014, allegedly due to injuries related to hernia mesh failure. Even after this surgery, Frances reportedly had to undergo one more surgery to remove “probable infected mesh” and repairing a recurrent hernia on April 26, 2016.

Frances reportedly continues to suffer the effects of hernia mesh failure symptoms, and will most likely be suffering this pain on a permanent basis.

The hernia mesh failure injuries described in this lawsuit are similar to those in injury reports submitted to the FDA for years, with hernia recurrence, bowel obstructions, and infection are some of the most common. However, these serious complications often force patients to undergo revision surgery to remove the failure of hernia mesh.

Even though these injuries can be devastating to patients, C.R. Bard and Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to disclose this information to patients. At all times relevant, Frances and her physicians had reportedly relied on the medical information provided to them by C.R. Bard and Johnson & Johnson.

Frances is seeking compensation for all medical damages, along with negligence and failure to warn in her lawsuit.

This Hernia Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 1:19-cv-00161-WES-PAS, in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island.