A Mississippi man hit medical device maker C.R. Bard with a lawsuit alleging Ventralex hernia mesh is incompatible with human tissue.
The plaintiff, Patrick D., alleges that the incompatible hernia mesh caused him severe personal injuries, medical complications, and damages after it was implanted in March 2014. Further, says the plaintiff, he had to undergo revision surgery to remove and replace Ventralex hernia mesh in June 2017..
“The Bard Ventralex mesh was actually made of materials, which are biologically incompatible with human tissue and react negatively and sometimes dangerously with a large number of those on whom it is used. Defendant knew or should have known that their Product was unreasonably harmful,” alleges the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Ventralex hernia mesh contains two layers that are stitched together. The mesh is also self-expanding. The plaintiff says the layers in the incompatible hernia mesh delaminate in the human body, meaning they can fold, shrivel, curl, and can generally separate after they are implanted.
The plaintiff alleges that Bard knew or should have known that the Ventralex hernia mesh was incompatible with human tissue based on scientific evidence. The evidence, says the lawsuit, shows that the resin-based polypropylene Bard used to create Ventralex mesh can react with the human body causing complications that include:
- Abnormal wound healing complications
- Bleeding
- Chronic serum discharge
- Severe abdominal pain
- Breakdown and disintegration of the bilayer Ventralex mesh
C.R. Bard failed to warn doctors and patients about the mesh, says the plaintiff.
Ventralex hernia mesh should have included warnings about the possibility of severe medical complications and Bard’s failure to do so was negligent, argues the complaint.
“As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s negligence Plaintiff has experienced significant physical injury, mental and physical pain and suffering, permanent injury, has undergone additional surgical treatment and will likely undergo further medical treatment and procedures, has suffered financial or economic loss, including, but not limited to, obligations for medical services and expenses, lost income, and other damages,” states the complaint.
Incompatible Hernia Mesh
C.R. Bard and other medical device manufacturers have been hit with a large number of lawsuits over medical complications patients say they suffered from incompatible hernia mesh. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits allege that the medical device makers knew or should have known that their hernia mesh products were incompatible with human tissues; however, they failed to warn doctors and patients.
A recent study also suggests that hernia mesh labels fail to include sufficient details about the risks of hernia mesh. The researchers found that only a third of hernia mesh labels provided to doctors contained information about the mechanics of the mesh.
Even fewer contained important details about the thickness and pore size. In fact, the study discovered that hernia mesh labels are not as detailed as food labels. Further, concluded the researchers, the labels lacked uniformity and consistency.
If you or a loved one suffered complications from incompatible hernia mesh, contact the attorneys at McDonald Worley to evaluate your claim.