Emily Sortor  |  March 25, 2021

Category: Legal News

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Hernia mesh migration has led to the recall of certain medical devices. - hernia mesh move

A hernia mesh move after implantation, more accurately known as mesh migration, is a serious risk associated with hernia repair surgery.

More than 1 million hernia repairs are performed every day in the U.S., according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with most of these surgeries using hernia mesh.

Despite the availability of alternative treatments, mesh continues to be used in about 90 percent of hernia repairs, according to DrugWatch.

Cases of hernia mesh migration are rarely reported, so exact figures on the rate of complications is difficult to ascertain. However, as of October 2020, 14,900 hernia mesh lawsuits were pending against manufacturers Ethicon, Atrium, and Bard Davol, according to DrugWatch.

What Does Mesh Migration Mean?

When a hernia mesh migrates, it literally falls or moves out of place, usually winding up embedded in a nearby organ or adjacent tissues.

If hernia mesh migrates, the patient may experience excess pain or, alternatively, may experience no symptoms at all until the mesh causes more severe damage, according to DrugWatch.

Migration can lead to adhesions, fistulas, and abscesses, as well as bowel obstruction or perforation.

How Does Hernia Mesh Move Out of Place?

Hernia mesh migration occurs in one of two ways.

Primary, or mechanical migration, results from improper or inadequate placement, according to the Annals of Gastroenterology.

The mesh comes loose from the tissues to which it has been surgically attached and falls away, or is torn loose from its moorings because of some external pressure. Primary mesh migration generally happens within a short time of the initial surgery.

Secondary mesh migration is the result of an infection or inflammatory response that causes scar tissue to form, according to the Annals of Gastroenterology.

The mesh begins to erode and shrink over a period of months, or even years, and it starts to move. If the mesh does not become embedded in an organ (such as the bladder or intestines) it may simply fold up into a ball, known as a meshoma, which can cause serious nerve damage.

Most hernia mesh is made from polypropylene, a type of plastic, as well as other materials including titanium or other metals. These mesh panels are permanent, and are meant to be in a patient’s body forever. Unfortunately, the materials used in this mesh may cause inflammation or an allergic reaction inside the patient’s body, in addition to migrating or breaking.

A number of these mesh products were recalled.

According to an FDA analysis of medical adverse event reports, “recalled mesh products were the main cause of bowel perforation and obstruction complications.”

What Are the Symptoms of Mesh Migration?

Hernia patients suffering from mesh migration usually experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • bowel obstruction
  • chills and/or fever of unknown origin
  • swelling, pain and/or redness at the surgical site
  • fluid buildup around the surgical site (seroma)
  • blood in the urine (hematuria)
  • pain ranging from mild to severe

Victims have also reported side effects of damage caused by hernia mesh including incontinence, flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, abdominal stiffness or swelling, and excessive chronic pain.

Some victims have reported long-term hernia mesh side effects including pain that affects mobility, stress and emotional suffering, and chronic infections, the BBC reported.

What Is Happens Inside the Body When Hernia Mesh or Erosion Occurs?

Consequences of mesh movement or erosion may include:

  • hemorrhaging
  • fistula (an abnormal connection between organs and/or blood vessels)
  • infection
  • hernia recurrence
  • organ perforation

All of these can have serious, and potentially fatal health consequences.

Is Additional Surgery Necessary?

When a hernia mesh moves, the only way to remove it is with revision surgery.

Furthermore, additional surgery may be required to repair any damage that has resulted from the migration.

A hernia mesh migration may also result in the mesh breaking into smaller, sharp pieces.

These individual pieces may lodge in nearby organs or travel away from the initial site of implantation. Depending on how small these pieces are, how far they have moved, and whether they have adhered to other internal organs, it may not be possible to entirely remove broken or migrated mesh from the body.

How Is Mesh Migration Diagnosed?

A proper diagnosis requires medical imaging, such as an X-ray or CT scan.

Once it has been determined that mesh migration is the cause of a patient’s symptoms, the physician will schedule the necessary surgery.

If Mesh Is Dangerous, Why Is It Still Used?

The reality that some hernia mesh products have been subject to FDA approval since March 2020 may give patients pause. They may wonder if the products are safe, as they weigh the device’s benefits with potential risks like hernia mesh move and others.

Man with abdominal pain

However, hernia mesh is largely considered safe, and experts assure the public that the recalls have mostly been effective in dealing with those mesh products that were causing complications.

The problems with hernia mesh were mostly design or manufacturing problems, and removing them on the market has been effective in protecting patients, according to UCI Health. Most of the mesh products still on the market are safe.

Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine notes the efficacy of these devices make them the “gold standard” for repair. They have been the standard for around 50 years, and in that time, their use has marked a dramatic reduction in the number of hernia recurrences. 

Before hernia mesh was introduced, hernias were simply repaired by sewing shut the hole through which the hernia protruded. This method resulted in hernia recurrence between 25 percent and 50 percent of the time. In contrast, when hernia mesh is used, hernias only recur far less than 10 percent of the time.

Research is still ongoing into hernia mesh, as experts are “still looking for that perfect mesh,” as UCI Health surgeon Marcelo W. Hinojosa puts it.

Some risks are involved in using hernia mesh, despite their benefits. Additionally, mesh may be particularly useful in the repair of certain hernias, while hernia mesh may be less necessary in repairing other hernias.

Hernia mesh is relatively inexpensive, and a mesh repair can be completed within 15 minutes.

The alternative technique, known as the pure tissue or Shouldice method, uses the patient’s own tissues, takes up to an hour to perform and requires that the surgeon be familiar with all the layers of muscle involved, according to DrugSafetyNews.com. Few surgeons in the U.S. are qualified to perform a Shouldice repair. (The technique was developed at Canada’s Shouldice Hernia Hospital.)

Some 98 percent of hernia patients can benefit from the Shouldice method, according to DrugSafetyNews.com.

Some victims who have opened lawsuits against mesh manufacturers claim that their hernia mesh was not able to be entirely removed. Due to this, several victims claim the mesh continues to result in long-term, painful, or debilitating side effects.

Victims who have been harmed by hernia mesh may be able to collect damages for injuries, pain and suffering, and medical expenses.

If you underwent hernia surgery and suffered severe hernia mesh side effects, your complications may be the result of a defective mesh product and may qualify to file a hernia mesh lawsuit. Learn more by filling out the form on this page for a free case evaluation.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The hernia mesh attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, hernia mesh lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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