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, Bard, Boston Scientific, Ethicon,Gynecare, and Johnson & Johnson. 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.
Alternatives to Transvaginal Mesh and Slings?
One option for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the implantation of a class II medical device known as a transvaginal sling / TVT. This post explores another treatment option for SUI: Artificial Urinary Sphincter and Periurethral Injections, which are surgeries for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
Artificial Urinary Sphincter
The artificial sphincter is just what it sounds like. It is a mechanical device that is placed around the urethra that replaces the function of the sphincter. It actually consists of three parts — a cuff that goes around the urethra, and is actually the part that replaces the sphincter, a balloon reservoir, and a control assembly. The operation can be performed either entirely through the lower abdomen or as a combined operation through the abdomen and the vagina.
Post Surgery
After the surgery, you must wait about six weeks before the sphincter is “activated” to protect the tissues until they heal. During that time you will remain incontinent. After about six weeks, the device is activated simply by pressing a button on the control assembly, which is located in the labia. Once it’s activated, the sphincter cuff remains closed all the time except when you want to urinate. When you do want to go, you squeeze the control assembly, which transfers fluid out of the cuff and into the balloon reservoir. The cuff opens and you urinate. After three to five minutes the cuff gradually refills without pushing any more buttons. Although results from the sphincter operation are quite good, there is a possibility of mechanical failure, infection, or erosion of the sphincter.
Periurethral Injections
Periurethral injections refer to the placement of substances through a needle alongside the urethra that are intended to gently compress the urethra so that urinary leakage doesn’t occur. Periurethral injections can be done under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting. Although they require considerable skill on the part of your doctor, they are quite simple, both for the doctor and the patient. The complications are almost nonexistent after periurethral injections and most people are improved or even dry afterwards.
Drawbacks
These injections rarely work for long. Most have to be repeated after a matter of months and you may have to have repeat injections many times. Usually, right after the injection, you will be very much improved or even seemingly cured. Then over a period of time, things gradually get worse. This could be a matter of days, weeks, or months. Once they get worse, they tend to worsen until you have your next injection.
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, and Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon.
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, 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
EMAIL: clicking here
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.