Lawsuit Says Ethicon Prolift Permanently Damaged Organs

Sharon Beltz underwent the bladder sling implant procedure to treat her stress incontinence in September 2006, which included implanting transvaginal mesh to strengthen her vaginal wall. The device used was Ethicon’s Prolift implant. She needed a revision procedure to repair and remove some of the vaginal mesh in November 2011. Her vaginal mesh lawsuit says that she has suffered permanent damage as a result of the allegedly faulty transvaginal mesh products marketed by Ethicon that led to her bladder sling implant failure.

The Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuit alleges that the components “have high failure, injury and complication rates, fail to perform as intended, [and] require frequent and often debilitating re-operations.” The synthetic material in the Prolift device erodes in 15.6% of all patients, according to a 2010 study cited in the Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuit. 

Unlike other Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuits, Beltz argues that Ethicon and other companies should have created processes to repair or remove the devices if the mesh eroded or failed. She also notes that she dealt with inflection and inflammation as well as pelvic floor damage and organ perforation as a result of the mesh erosion. Her stress incontinence continues to this day.

In addition, had Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson performed medical trials that the FDA finally required in January 2012, the lawsuit argues that the devices would have shown to be faulty or unnecessarily risky. The companies decided instead to stop marketing and selling Ethicon transvaginal mesh products in June of that year.

The Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuit is Sharon Beltz, et al. v. Ethicon Women’s Health and Urology, et al., Case No. 13-cv-04931, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Counts against Ethicon include defective manufacture and design, failure to warn, negligence, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, emotional distress and breaches of express and implied warranties.

If you or someone you know dealt with problems as a result of a transvaginal mesh product, get educated. Visit the Vaginal Mesh Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation where you can fill out the short form for a free legal consultation. A vaginal mesh lawyer will review your potential case and outline what options you have. Pursuing legal action could result in compensatory damages or a settlement that could defray medical bills and offer a financial offset to lost quality of life due to bladder sling implant failures.