Medical Complications

As women age, their bodies begin to develop common conditions impacting internal organs and continence. Unfortunately, child birth and the strain it places on the body can exacerbate certain types of health issues and can cause some medical conditions to develop or worsen. Two medical problems common among women, for example, are pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Both of these conditions can result in weakening of the muscles in the pelvic region, although SUI causes a woman to involuntarily urinate while POP results when the small bowel, bladder, urethra, uterus or other organs start to protrude into the vagina.

Treating POP and SUI is a top priority for women who develop these conditions and one treatment method that became increasingly popular in recent years was the use of transvaginal mesh (TVM). Transvaginal mesh products are a type of surgical mesh product with more than 31 different manufacturers including Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. The products were used in thousands of women in the U.S. and worldwide but problems quickly began coming to light.

The medical complications of transvaginal mesh products are serious and can lead to significant pain and expensive corrective procedures. If you or a loved one had TVM implanted as a method of treating pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence and you are currently experiencing medical complications, it is very important that you understand and protect your legal rights. A Boston transvaginal mesh attorney at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers can help.

There are many different medical complications that have been linked to transvaginal mesh products. Potential side effects of the surgical mesh include

• Chronic and ongoing pain
• Pain that occurs when engaged in sexual intercourse
• Urinary problems
• Infection
• Perforation of the bowels
• Perforation of the bladder
• Perforation of the blood vessels
• Recurrent pelvic organ prolapse
• Narrowing of the vaginal wall

Unfortunately, in many cases, the transvaginal mesh will actually begin to break down inside of the body. This can cause these and other serious side effects. Typically, the only way to resolve the medical complications of transvaginal mesh and/or of eroding mesh is to undergo an additional surgical procedure. Some women, tragically, have to undergo multiple procedures while others never fully recover after an infection or other complication caused by transvaginal mesh.

The medical complications associated with transvaginal mesh are already affecting thousands of women. By 2008, the FDA had received complaints of more than 1,000 complications or adverse events resulting from the use of transvaginal mesh. This prompted the Administration to issue a warning, although they initially suggested that the side effects or complications were rare.

An additional 2,874 complaints between January of 2008 and December of 2010 convinced the FDA that the complications were not isolated or rare events but were instead a common result of the use of TVM. This resulted in an additional warning being issued by the FDA of the medical complications that transvaginal mesh products could cause.

The FDA also ordered an indepth study of the dangers of transvaginal mesh complications to be conducted by 31 major sellers of the medical device. This order was issued in January of 2012.

As the FDA and TVM manufacturers continue trying to get to the bottom of the transvaginal mesh safety issues, thousands of women are left with painful complications and costly medical bills for repeat surgeries. The manufacturers must be held accountable for all costs associated with the TVM side effects and many lawsuits have already been filed.

If you or a loved one has experienced medical complications from transvaginal mesh, then you too need to take legal action. Holding medical device manufacturers responsible for harm can be legally complex but the caring and knowledgeable advocates at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers are here to help.

To schedule your free consultation, get in touch with us today at (617) 777-7777 or contact us online.