Hernia Mesh Lawsuit

Articles Insight | Kugel Mesh Lawsuit

Have you had hernia mesh complications following a repair of a ventral hernia? If so, it may be related to the hernia mesh device used during your surgery. Some patients who have suffered injuries following hernia repair surgery have looked at their legal options including filing a Kugel mesh lawsuit to help with unpaid medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering associated with the memory recoil ring breaking and causing internal injuries.

A hernia is a bulge that develops anywhere in the body, but most commonly in the abdomen. When an area that contains an organ is weak, as in an abdominal wall, the organ can push through that wall, creating a bulge.

In the stomach, for instance, the intestine can push through an area in the abdominal wall where the muscle or tissue is weak and thin. When the organ creates a hole and pushes through, it can encounter bacteria that can lead to infection. The organ can also get stuck in the small hole and the blood supply to the organ can be diminished, so the cells may die. If this is not treated in time, the area may develop gangrene, and portions of it may have to be removed.

Hernias can be caused by a variety of situations, but most of them occur because of an inherently weak wall. When additional stress is added to the wall, a hernia can develop. Stresses such as coughing, lifting heavy objects and straining during bowel movements are frequent causes of hernias.

A ventral hernia is caused when a hernia develops at the site of a previous incision. If you have had previous abdominal surgery, that incision site may be weaker than the rest of the abdominal wall, making that area more prone to developing a hernia.

Doctors usually recommend surgery to repair a hernia. Although some non-surgical treatments can be found, surgery is the generally recognized method to alleviate the hernia.

In recent years, doctors have used a device called a mesh patch to attach to the weakened area in order to provide additional support. While this was effective, some patches used in the last decade are part of a hernia mesh patch recall. The Kugel mesh hernia patch used two pieces of mesh connected by a plastic ring as a device to bolster the weak abdominal wall. The ring acted as a spring, holding the device in place.

Unfortunately, the plastic ring sometimes broke, causing infections from perforated bowels and chronic fistulas.

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