Hernia repair mesh is becoming increasingly linked with serious complications, patients report, sometimes developing months or years after surgery. More and more patients are coming forward with their own stories of hernia repair mesh complications.

Hernia Repair Mesh Basics

After a person has suffered from a hernia, one of the main approaches to repairing the problem is using hernia repair mesh, a kind of woven material that is used to reinforce a weak area or patch a hole. However, even though hernia repair mesh is meant to fix damage, patients can actually suffer from serious complications due to the hernia repair mesh itself.

For some patients, symptoms of hernia repair mesh complications may appear immediately after the surgery, but for others, such symptoms may not appear for weeks, months, or even years afterward. The delay in the appearance of symptoms can mean that patients may not connect their symptoms with the hernia repair mesh surgery or the mesh itself.

Serious hernia repair mesh problems are surprisingly common. Indeed, between one and eight percent of patients implanted with hernia repair mesh end up developing some kind of infection related to their mesh.

While anyone implanted with hernia repair mesh may be at risk of these complications, a number of factors, when combined, can lead to a higher likelihood of hernia repair mesh failure and infection.

These contributing factors include the kind of mesh product, the amount of mesh used, the type of surgery, and the preventative measures used to prevent these infections. Allergic reactions to the material and material coating plays a factor.

Patients who are most likely to suffer from hernia repair mesh failure are those with the largest amount of mesh used. Surgeons should try to use the smallest amount of mesh possible in order to repair hernia problems and prevent further complications.

Hernia Repair Mesh Failure Symptoms

In recent years, the list of potential hernia repair mesh failure symptoms has only grown. The list of symptoms associated with hernia repair mesh failure includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Pain
• Infection
• Hernia recurrence
• Adhesion
• Bowel obstruction
• Inflammation
• Fibrosis
• Calcification
• Thrombosis
• Mesh migration
• Mesh shrinkage/contraction

These symptoms of hernia repair mesh complications may appear as little as two weeks after repair surgery or as long as three years. Indicators of such a reaction include pain, tenderness, swelling, fever, malaise, chills, or rigors.

If you or someone you love has suffered from hernia repair mesh complications after undergoing surgery, anywhere from weeks to years prior, you may be able to file a defective mesh lawsuit. Filing a claim cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by hernia repair mesh symptoms, but it can help to alleviate the financial costs of medical expenses and even lost wages.