Johnson & Johnson is facing a new wrongful death lawsuit from a Louisiana man alleging his wife died as a direct result of hernia mesh repair complications.

Plaintiff William M. alleges the company failed to warn his wife or her physician against potential hernia mesh repair complications, or how severely impactful they could be to her health.

William is filing this hernia mesh lawsuit on behalf of his late wife Shirley M., who opted to get Johnson & Johnson’s Physiomesh product and allegedly suffered hernia mesh repair complications soon after.

Shirley had reportedly chosen the Physiomesh product after reviewing the company’s advertisements and marketing materials.

According to the hernia mesh lawsuit, Shirley underwent hernia repair surgery in April 2015 and began experiencing hernia mesh repair complications soon after. These hernia mesh repair complications included pain, infection, abscess, adhesions, scaring, intestinal blockage and recurrence of the hernia, which eventually forced Shirley to undergo revision surgery.

During both the initial hernia repair surgery and revision surgery, Shirley followed all medical instructions and did not deviate from her physician’s advice, William claims. Even with this diligence, Shirley allegedly died from these hernia mesh repair complications on April 8, 2014.

William opted to file legal action against Johnson & Johnson after discovering the potentially dangerous nature of their Physiomesh device.

Overview of Hernia Mesh Repair Complications

According to Johnson & Johnson, the Physiomesh hernia mesh product is described as a “sterile, low profile, flexible composite mesh designed for repair of hernias and other fascial deficiencies.” This medical device is composed of a macroporous polypropylene, which is bound by two undyed polygelcaprone-25 films.

Johnson & Johnson marketed the device as a safe and effective component for use in hernia repair surgery. The Physiomesh hernia patch is directly inserted into the abdominal wall to help repair weakened or strained muscle.

However, according to plaintiffs like William, the Physiomesh hernia mesh products have been allegedly causing adverse reactions in patients with side effects ranging from debilitating pain to severe infection. Often, patients who suffered these hernia mesh repair complications were forced to undergo revision surgery to resolve their conditions.

Johnson & Johnson eventually conducted a market withdrawal of their Physiomesh products in May 2016, after studies found that these products had higher rates of revision surgery than expected. It is important to note that Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary Ethicon Inc. did not specify the reasons behind the high failure rate. However, the company stated that it could be due to a number of different factors including the design of the product, physician instructions, and improper patient selection.

William is filing legal action against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company either knew or should have known about potentially fatal hernia mesh repair. William states his wife would never have agreed to use the Physiomesh product if she had known about potentially fatal hernia mesh repair complications.

This Hernia Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-17916-SM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.