FREE CASE EVALUATION: 1-800-632-1404
Tens of thousands of women receive a transvaginal mesh (TVM) device each and every year from numerous suppliers: American Medical Systems, C.R. Bard, Boston Scientific, Coloplast, and Johnson & Johnson / Ethicon. Thousands of women have been injured through no fault of their own, including vaginal erosion, pain, urinary problems, bleeding, infection and more. Our attorneys are representing women in all fifty states and Canada who have been injured. For a free case evaluation, call 1-800-632-1404.
We are honored to have two women on staff ready and willing to discuss the facts of your case with you as often as needed.
Johnson & Johnson Sued and Judgment Reached for Over $3 Million
There have now been TWO trials for women that received transvaginal mesh (TVM mesh) devices, and the juries have awarded more than a combined $8 million dollars.
The first such case to be heard in New Jersey has reached a verdict, coming in at a whopping $3.35 million. Still to be decided is the question of punitive damages, which the jury is currently considering.
The plaintiff in this case is a 47 year old woman who received the vaginal mesh as a means to treat her pelvic organ collapse. She was living in South Dakota, and was present each day of trial. Her implanting surgeon even flew from South Dakota to New Jersey to testify live. From my following the trial, the manufacturer used the “blame the patient defense” (which is almost never a good idea) trying to almost establish that the Plaintiff wanted to have surgeries and caused much of her own pain. By the verdict, I do not believe the jury agreed.
Typical complaints with the mesh are that within weeks or months of the mesh being implanted, the medical problems start. Women can experience urinary problems, vaginal bleeding, pain, scarring, recurrent prolapse and perforation of the bladder, intestines and uterus. In many cases, patients must have the mesh surgically trimmed or removed. The removal process can require three or more revisions.
In this case, the plaintiff endured additional medical treatment including 18 operations to repair the damage caused by the mesh. Yes, 18 surgeries, making this quite an extreme case but still one that is quite damaging to the defenses of the various manufacturers in my opinion.
The FDA first began to acknowledge problems with transvaginal repairs in 2008, but claimed mesh complications were rare. It wasn’t until 2011 that the agency reversed its decision and said complications were in fact not rare, noting that issues arise in 10 percent of transvaginal mesh prolapse patients within a year of surgery. From 2005 to 2010, the agency received nearly 4,000 reports of complications related to transvaginal mesh products, including three deaths. In June 2012, Johnson & Johnsons’ Ethicon unit stopped selling most of its mesh brands after lawsuits were filed against the mesh manufacturer. This $3.35 million dollar judgment could have an impact on the thousands of lawsuits filed against other manufacturers of vaginal mesh implants.
If you have experienced an injury after a vaginal mesh procedure, contact our attorneys at 1-800-632-1404 today. Our team of attorneys are currently representing more than 100 women who claim to have suffered similar injuries as a result of using pelvic mesh products. Please continue reading for more help.
Do You Qualify for a Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit?
Recently, the public has become aware of serious health complications suffered by women after undergoing surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with transvaginal mesh devices. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), between January 2008 and December 2010, there were nearly 3,000 adverse event reports involving transvaginal mesh devices. Specifically, there were 1,503 reports of complications involving POP repair and 1,371 reports linked to surgery for SUI. Our team of lawyers are representing women who experienced both complications.
Side effects reported in transvaginal mesh recipients include:
- Infections
- Internal bleeding
- Vaginal scar tissue
- Vaginal wall narrowing
- Painful urination
- Fistulas
- Mesh shrinkage
- Mesh migration
- Urinary problems
- Punctures to the bladder, blood vessels, bowels or other organs in the lower abdomen
- Mesh erosion into the vagina, bladder, intestines, and uterus
- Pain
- Painful sexual intercourse for both partners
- Recurrence of incontinence
- Recurrence of both POP and SUI, or both
Numerous lawsuits have been filed over these complications, in part because studies have shown that transvaginal mesh offers no real benefit over safer, more traditional methods of treatment. Making matters worse, in many cases the POP or SUI the implant was supposed to fix in the first place returns. Transvaginal mesh manufacturers took advantage of the FDA’s highly criticized 510(k) approval process, which allows medical devices to be sold on the market without ever being safety tested in humans. Now, thousands of innocent women are paying the price.
Our team of attorneys is reviewing case evaluations for women across the country who have received TVM and TVT products from manufactures such as C.R. Bard, Avaulta, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon, and Coloplast.
If you need help from a transvaginal mesh device injury, call us today for help.
The Problem
In 2008, the FDA first released concerns about the safety of transvaginal placement of mesh. From 2008 to 2010, the FDA received three to five times as many adverse reports associated with mesh used for pelvic organ prolapse repair than what agency received from 2005 to 2007 (nearly 1,000 reports of adverse events were received from 2005-2007).
Many of these patients complain because of erosion or contraction of the mesh material (which has been described as being of a similar material as Rubbermaid storage containers). The erosion leads to bleeding, severe pelvic pain, painful (or impossible) sexual performance and a recurrence of urinary problems.
In July 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an update related to what it called ‘serious complications’ related to the use of vaginal mesh for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is now known that complications linked to transvaginal placement of surgical mesh in SUI and POP patients are not rare and can require multiple surgeries to correct problems related to the use of surgical mesh. In fact, the FDA now says that additional surgeries may actually not be able to repair damage caused by implantation of the mesh.
In other words, the side effects of the mesh placement may be permanent. These complications from transvaginal placement of surgical mesh include:
- Erosion of the implanted mesh
- Infection and/or bleeding
- Pain, including pain during sexual intercourse
- Problems with organs near the implantation site
Helping You
You may have experienced mesh erosion, bleeding, urinary infections, vaginal scarring, pain during sexual intercourse, failure to conduct sexual intercourse and more. A physician may have tried to remove the mesh and been unable to do so. You may be in excruciating pain, and need help. We are offering free case evaluations to the general public across the United States and Canada. Manufacturers we consider include American Medical Systems, Bard, Boston Scientific, Ethicon,Gynecare, Coloplast, and Johnson & Johnson.
If you received a transvaginal mesh / sling and have been injured, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Problems include pain, inability to have intercourse,bleeding, mesh growth into the body, mesh erosion, and more. Problems could be irreversible. Please fill out the form to the right or call us so that we can provide you with forms to evaluate your potential case immediately.
We are accepting case evaluations nationwide and in Canada, as well. Please do not hesitate or delay in contacating TVM / TVT Sling and transvaginal mesh attorneys :
CALL: 1-800-632-1404
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FILL OUT THIS FORM FOR A FREE CONSULTATION AND CASE EVALUATION:
NOTE: Our team of attorneys will review potential cases for all fifty states, including Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin and Wyoming.