Complications of hernia repair surgery involving the use of a mesh patch may occur up to 5 years after the procedure, according to a new study.
Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one had problems after hernia repair surgery, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit and our lawyers can help.
What’s the Problem?
February 13, 2017 – The study found that hernia repair patients who receive surgical mesh have a lower rate of hernia recurrence, but also that these patients had more complications compared to traditional hernia repair. The research was published Tuesday in JAMA Surgery and presented at the 2016 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.
At 5 years, the rate of hernia recurrence was significantly lower for those who had mesh repair — about 12% compared to 17% for those who had traditional inguinal hernia repair. However, the rate of complications with surgical mesh increased over time.
Of the 3,242 patients observed in the cohort, 1,050 required subsequent abdominal surgery. Major complications included:
- Bowel obstruction
- Perforation
- Bleeding
- Pain
- Non-healing wounds
- Infections
- Fluid buildup
- Organs fused together (fistulas)
The study also found that larger pieces of surgical mesh increased the risk of long-term problems.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) reports that over 1 million hernia repairs are performed each year in the U.S. Mesh is used to strengthen the hernia repair and reduce the rate of recurrence. Most problems associated with mesh placement include:
- Pain
- Infection
- Hernia recurrence
- Scar-like tissue that sticks tissues together (adhesion)
- Intestinal blockage
- Bleeding
- Organ perforation
Do I Have a Hernia Patch Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in hernia patch lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you had hernia mesh problems, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.