More Vaginal Mesh Injury Lawsuits Set for Trial

As women age, they become more likely to suffer from bladder prolapse as the vaginal wall becomes weaker. A prolapsed bladder occurs when the bladder descends into a woman’s vagina, which can trigger urinary problems such as incontinence. The condition is very similar to pelvic organ prolapse, except POP causes other internal organs to fall into the vaginal opening.

Bladder sling implants that utilize vaginal mesh were intended to be a safer alternative to hysterectomy and other invasive surgical techniques to repair pelvic organ prolapse and bladder prolapse. The mesh is a semi-permeable barrier that is implanted into a woman’s body to keep her internal organs in place. It has become commonplace for doctors to insert the device through a woman’s vagina rather than surgically placing the barrier in the woman’s abdomen.

Thousands of Serious Vaginal Mesh Complications Reported

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) received thousands of complaints of severe vaginal mesh complications between 2008 and 2010. After investigating these complaints, the agency concluded that instances of vaginal mesh complications were not rare. The agency warned that using vaginal mesh implants to treat pelvic organ prolapse may put women at a higher risk of complications.

Women with vaginal mesh implants have reported the following debilitating health complications:

• Mesh erosion into the vagina
• Perforation of the bowel, blood vessels or bladder
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Bladder infections
• Urinary incontinence
• Mesh failure
• Organ injuries
• Vaginal scarring

First Vaginal Mesh Injury Settlement Received, More to Come

In February 2013, a New Jersey jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $7.5 million in punitive damages to a plaintiff who suffered serious vaginal mesh injuries. The jury had already awarded Linda Gross $3.35 million to compensate her for the medical costs and pain and suffering she experienced from the unsuccessful surgeries she had endured to repair the damage caused by the vaginal mesh implant. Although there have been approximately 4,000 vaginal mesh injury lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson, this case is the first to reach a verdict. During the trial, Gross testified that she had undergone 18 surgeries to correct the damage caused by the vaginal mesh device that had been implanted in 2006.

There are currently tens of thousands of lawsuits pending against vaginal mesh manufacturers throughout the U.S. Transvaginal mesh lawsuits have been moving forward in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) that is currently in progress in West Virginia. These bellwether cases will help vaginal mesh lawyers determine how similar cases will be handled by juries. The first West Virginia trial is scheduled to begin on June 11, 2013.

Contact a Vaginal Mesh Injury Lawyer

Women who have suffered vaginal mesh implant complications may be entitled to compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages. To learn more about your legal options, visit the Transvaginal Mesh, Vaginal Sling, Vaginal Mesh and Bladder Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page for more information. If you choose to submit information about your injuries, a vaginal mesh injury lawyer will evaluate your case to see if you are eligible to join a class action lawsuit.