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 Verdict Reached for Over $11 Million
Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit: NJ Jury Awards $11 Million to Plaintiff
A New Jersey court has approved $11 million in damages for a woman, who suffered from pain and multiple complications caused by side effects of Ethicon Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh. Linda Gross, the 47-year-old plaintiff, had 18 surgeries following injuries caused by the mesh implant she had to treat pelvic organ prolapse. The jury at the Atlantic County Superior Court agreed to the contention of the plaintiff that she suffered from debilitating injuries because of failure on the part of Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, to properly inform about the risk of injuries. Her doctor maintained that he had prescribed her the Gynecare Prolift transvaginal mesh implant as there was no information available from the manufacturer about its potential side effects.
Transvaginal Mesh Injury and FDA Warnings
The transvaginal mesh lawsuit is one of more than 4,000 product liability litigations filed in the United States. All major transvaginal mesh manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, American Medical Systems, and Coloplast are facing lawsuits alleging defective manufacturing, wrongful side effect information, product liability, and fraud.
The FDA has recognized association of transvaginal mesh implants with high injury risks. A study carried on by it on transvaginal mesh injuries between 1996 and 2010 found that users had to undergo surgeries within months to overcome complications caused by the mesh implants. The results partially published in 2008 led the FDA to admit that all transvaginal mesh implants have serious side effects that could undermine the benefits of using these implants.
The revelations led to three-fold increase in adverse reports, and the FDA received over 1,500 complaints in the next two years through its MedWatch adverse event reporting system. Pelvic pain and recurrence of prolapse were cited as two most listed complaints. In July 2011, the FDA warned about the risk of pelvic perforation, additional surgeries, and possible irreversible complications in patients caused by transvaginal mesh implants. The findings also highlighted that transvaginal mesh implants had no significant benefits compared to non-mesh implants.
Leading consumer group Public Citizen petitioned the FDA in August 2011, a month after the federal regulator issued a health alert on transvaginal mesh implant injuries, demanding a ban on such products by 33 manufacturers to save users from serious, life-altering complications.
Transvaginal Mesh Injuries
- Transvaginal mesh implants have 10 to 20 percent failure rates. Early failure leads to recurrence of pelvic prolapse and patients have to undergo secondary surgeries within months. In many cases, it was found that the mesh implants failed within one to three years instead of a claimed life span of 15 to 20 years.
- Early failure of transvaginal mesh implant is primarily attributed to its early erosion. This creates a number of serious complications, including pelvic injury, necessitating revision surgery. Erosion also exposes the mesh device on pelvic surface.
- Shrinkage of transvaginal mesh implants results in pain and vagina shortening.
- Infections and complications caused by transvaginal mesh implants leads to chronic pain, pelvic inflammations, sepsis, scar tissue formation, pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding.
- Transvaginal mesh implant may perforate vagina, uterus, bladder, and pelvic organs.
- Abdominal pain and urinary problems
Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits
More than 2,000 transvaginal mesh injury lawsuits are awaiting trial in New Jersey while similar numbers of such lawsuits have also been filed in different federal courts. In July 2012, a state court in California ordered Bard to pay $5.5 million to a woman who suffered injuries after receiving its Avaulta Pelvic transvaginal mesh. In February 2013, A New Jersey jury awarded $3.35 million in an Ethicon vaginal mesh lawsuit. Boston Scientific was made to pay $1.5 million in damages by a Louisiana district court in October 2011 for injuries caused by its Pinnacle transvaginal 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.