Johnson & Johnson is facing a new product liability claim filed by a woman from Illinois, alleging she suffered serious complications after undergoing transvaginal mesh implant surgery.

Plaintiff Patricia S. says she underwent transvaginal mesh implant surgery using TVT-Obturator transvaginal mesh to treat a personal health problems, but suffered unexpected device complications. She then had to have another one of the company’s mesh products implanted, she claims.

According to the claim, Patricia underwent the first implant surgery Feb. 15, 2007, but had to have the implant removed.  It was replaced by a Gynecare TVT transvaginal mesh implant on May 21, 2008. However, Patricia says this transvaginal mesh implant also reportedly turned out to be defective and she continues to suffer from long term complications.

Overview of Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Transvaginal mesh implant products are typically recommended to women who are suffering from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or stress urinary incontinence (SUI). These conditions are caused by weakened pelvic muscles, which is typically caused by physically traumatic events like childbirth.

These mesh products are coated with a polypropylene material, which is supposed to spur swelling to encourage healing in the vaginal wall and be biologically safe for humans. However, a number of patients have reportedly developed serious complications from transvaginal mesh implant products that further complicated their gynecological condition.

This was allegedly the case with Patricia, who says she suffered mesh erosion and was diagnosed with the side effect in October 2015. According to her TVT mesh lawsuit, there was mesh erosion into the urethral lumen that was allegedly caused by the transvaginal mesh implant in February 2007 or 2008.

According to her transvaginal mesh implant lawsuit, Patricia did not discover that her injuries may have been from the defective mesh until March 2018.

Initially, she had been told that the erosion and pelvic pain were symptoms from the surgery and her body responding to the mesh. Before being told about the allegedly defective nature of the transvaginal mesh implant products by a third party, she says she had no knowledge or awareness of the potential side effects.

In Patricia’s case, the true severity of the damage was exposed when doctors stated the mesh could not safely be removed without damaging her urethra.

TVT Mesh Complications

Surgical mesh has been used for gynecological purposes since the 1970s, with the practice becoming common in the 1990s. During this time, gynecologists began using transvaginal mesh to treat POP and SUI in women and it was not long before women began reporting serious complications including:

• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Urination problems
• Multiple occurrences of pelvic organ prolapse
• Vaginal scarring
• Perforated bladder, bowels, or blood vessels
• Mesh erosion in the vagina
• Infection
• Internal organ injuries

Even though these complications can be devastating to patients, Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to warn the general public. Patricia states she would not have agreed to have the transvaginal mesh implant products utilized if she had been aware of their potentially defective nature. Hundreds of other transvaginal mesh sufferers feel the same.

Patricia’s Transvaginal Mesh Implant Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-06609, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.