Millions of American women have been implanted during surgery with pelvic mesh products produced by Boston Scientific and other manufacturers. These medical devices are often referred to as transvaginal or vaginal mesh, tape, hammock or sling products. They are used to repair pelvic organ proplase (POP) and to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Often the mesh is made of polypropylene, a form of plastic.
Plastic mesh inserted vaginally has been linked to a high rate of serious complications. In the past three years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received over 1,500 reports of complications with surgical mesh devices used to repair POP. However, it is often not necessary to treat POP or SUI with plastic mesh. Traditionally, exercise or simpler surgical procedures have been used to treat these conditions.
Women who have suffered serious complications from plastic pelvic mesh, vaginal mesh, vaginal tape, or a bladder sling can receive free, confidential, and no-obligation assistance in determining their legal options by contacting Moore Law Group. Your case will be evaluated by one of our female attorneys who are representing injured women across America in pelvic or vaginal mesh litigation.
Please contact Moore Law Group to learn more about your rights and remedies under the law.
Defective Pelvic Mesh Products
Women’s Health News: Kentucky Woman Brings Suit Against Boston Scientific Charging Its Pelvic Mesh Products Are Defective And Cause Severe Injuries
July 3, 2012
Lexi J. Hazam of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and Jennifer A. Moore of the Kentucky law firm Moore Law Group, PLLC, announced today that Shirley Shelmidine has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Boston Scientific Corporation in U.S. federal court. The complaint charges that Boston Scientific’s widely-used pelvic mesh products are defective in their design and have caused Shelmidine severe and permanent injuries and debilitating pain.
“I was given this mesh because it was supposed to help with urinary incontinence. Instead, it has caused me to experience pain, bleeding, and other problems,” stated Shelmidine, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky. “If I had known this would happen, I would never have agreed to receive mesh. Boston Scientific should be held accountable for the injuries caused by their product.”
“Thousands of women have filed claims over the serious, often life-altering injuries they suffered due to pelvic products,” stated Hazam. “This is a serious women’s health issue. As alleged in the complaint, Boston Scientific promoted defectively-designed mesh to women and their doctors without adequate warnings and instructions.”
“Women throughout the country have experienced a wide range of pelvic mesh complications, from severe pelvic discomfort and pain to permanent, life-changing injuries, and many have been forced to undergo, additional ‘revision’ surgeries to try to remove the mesh,” added Moore. “Medical device manufacturers must acknowledge the scope of the problem and accept legal responsibility for the injuries women have suffered.”
Complications and Side Effects For Women From Pelvic Mesh
Millions of American women have been implanted during surgery with pelvic mesh products produced by Boston Scientific and other manufacturers. These medical devices are often referred to as transvaginal or vaginal mesh, tape, hammock or sling products. They are used to repair pelvic organ proplase (POP) and to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Often the mesh is made of polypropylene, a form of plastic.
Plastic mesh inserted vaginally has been linked to a high rate of serious complications. In the past three years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received over 1,500 reports of complications with surgical mesh devices used to repair POP. However, it is often not necessary to treat POP or SUI with plastic mesh. Traditionally, exercise or simpler surgical procedures have been used to treat these conditions.
The complaint filed by Shelmidine alleges that Boston Scientific’s Pelvic Mesh Products have high failure and complication rates, fail to perform as intended, require frequent and often debilitating re-operations, and have caused severe and irreversible injuries. The alleged defects include:
- pelvic mesh migrates from the location of their implantation, as well as erodes into other pelvic organs, tissue, muscle, nerves, and bone, adversely affecting tissues and patient health;
- pelvic mesh regularly fails to perform as intended , leads to significant injuries to patients, and must be removed, leading to repeated treatment and surgery; and
- pelvic mesh becomes embedded in human tissue over time such that if it needs to be removed due to its various defects, the removal causes damage to the organs and tissues, adversely affecting patient health
Contact the attorneys at Moore Law Group for more information.