If you’ve had hernia repair surgery, you likely have surgical mesh implanted in your body. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), surgical mesh is commonly used in hernia repair surgeries and is used in 90% or more of groin hernia repair surgeries. C.R. Bard is one of the largest manufacturers of the surgical mesh used in the United States.
Why Is Mesh Used in Hernia Repair Surgeries?
When a watch-and-wait approach is no longer a viable treatment option for your hernia, surgery is the only choice left. Surgical mesh is often used in hernia repair surgeries to strengthen the site of the weakened muscle or tissue and to decrease the chance of a hernia recurring at that site. When surgical mesh is made correctly, it can also shorten the duration of the surgery and reduce the time it takes the patient to recover.
Surgical mesh has been used for decades, but it has risks. The FDA reports that the majority of surgical mesh complications come from surgical mesh products that have been recalled.
Bard Surgical Mesh Products
Many different companies design, manufacture, and distribute surgical mesh products. C.R. Bard—more specifically, the Davol division of C.R. Bard—is one of those companies. Some of the surgical mesh products made by Bard include:
- 3D Light Mesh
- 3D Max Mesh
- AlloMax Surgical Graft
- Bard Mesh
- Bard (Marlex) Mesh Dart
- Bard Mesh Preshaped
- Composix
- Composix E/X
- Composix L/P
- Composix Kugel Hernia Patch
- Dulex Mesh
- Kugel Hernia Patch
- Marlex
- Modified Kugel Hernia Patch
- PerFix Light Plug
- Perfix Plug
- Sepramesh IP
- Seprma-Tex
- Ventralex Hernia Patch
- Ventralex ST Patch
- Ventralight
- Ventralight ST Patch
- Ventrio Patch
- Ventrio ST
- Visilex
Bard surgical mesh products are considered Class II, or medium risk, medical devices. Many mesh products were approved under the FDA’s 510(k) process, which allows medical devices that are similar to other devices already on the market to gain FDA approval without conducting clinical trials.
Complications Caused by Bard Surgical Mesh
Some people with Bard hernia surgical mesh face significant health problems, including:
- Severe pain
- Bowel obstruction
- Bowel adhesion
- Abdominal adhesion
- Infections
- Mesh migration from the spot where it was surgically implanted to another area of the body
- Perforation of the intestines or internal organs
- Nerve damage
- Numbness in the legs
- Allergic or inflammatory responses
- Foreign body rejection
These health issues can require additional surgeries, which bring increased risks of pain and complications.
Bard Surgical Mesh Lawsuits
In August 2018, Bard Davol hernia mesh lawsuits were consolidated in multidistrict litigation (MDL). The court found that there are common issues of fact in plaintiffs’ claims that Bard Davol’s polypropylene hernia mesh products caused serious health consequences. MDL allows the many Bard Davol polypropylene hernia mesh cases to be coordinated and streamlined throughout the legal process while each plaintiff retains control over his or her own case.
The court is expected to choose three Bard Davol hernia mesh bellwether lawsuits in early 2020, and the cases are expected to be heard by the court during 2020.
How to Protect Your Bard Surgical Mesh Injury Recovery
Few of us ever ask our surgeons for the specific name of devices used during surgery, but you can get that information from your doctor. If you are experiencing side effects and you are thinking about pursuing a legal recovery, it is important to know whether you have Bard surgical mesh in your body.
Your doctor will explain your medical options to you, but even if another surgery fixes the severe side effects you suffered, the surgery will not resolve all of the issues created by the defective hernia mesh. You may still be left with medical bills, physical pain, emotional suffering, and a significant loss of income due to your hernia mesh complications.
Our Kentucky medical device injury lawyers will fight to get you the fair recovery you deserve after a Bard hernia mesh injury. Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation or fill out our online contact form and we will contact you.
Related Links: