In the first transvaginal mesh lawsuit to go to trial, A jury has awarded Christine Scott and her husband $5.5 million CR Bard and her physician. They had sued for damages because of injuries Scott says she sustained after two Avaulta Plus transvaginal mesh devices were implanted in her to treat urinary incontinence.
It wasn’t until she underwent nine revision surgeries and eight other procedures to try to get both devices removed that doctors said the devices could not be safely taken out of her body. Court documents report that the device has cut Scott’s colon and tissue, which continues to grow through the mesh holes. She will likely experience chronic pain for life and her runner lifestyle has been affected.
While the jury awarded $5 million to Scott, her husband was awarded $500,000 because his wife can no longer have sexual intercourse with him. CR Bard was found 60% liable, while Scott’s doctor, Tillakarasi Kannappan, was found 40% liable.
Although Scott is the first transvaginal mesh victim to get her day in court, hundreds of other women have filed their defective medical device lawsuits because of injuries and health complications they have suffered after getting a transvaginal mesh implant. Mesh product manufacturers named as defendants have included Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX), Murray Hill, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Endo Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc., and other companies.
The vaginal mesh implant devices have been popular for treating Stress Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse. However, in the last few years, there have been reports of women suffering serious complications, including severe bleeding, pain during intercourse, infection, and erosion of the device. Between just 2005 and 2007 alone the US Food and Drug Administration said it received over 1000 report of adverse events. Also, Scott is not the only woman to have to undergo multiple procedures to try removing the device.
Last July, the FDA updated its Public Health Notification on transvaginal mesh products. While the original one from 2008 said that using transvaginal mesh in medical procedures could potentially cause a patient harm, the 2011 updated said that it is not unusual for someone undergoing a procedure involving this surgical device to suffer “serious complications.” Also, the FDA said that getting a transvaginal mesh doesn’t give a patient a higher likelihood of a successful outcome than if she had underwent traditional surgery to treat the same condition.
You want to work with a transvaginal mesh law firm that is familiar with this defective medical device and has experience in successfully recovering damages for clients with products liability lawsuits.
Symptoms that you may be suffering from transvaginal mesh complications:
• Mesh erosion • Vaginal tightening and shortening • Bleeding • Infection • Painful urination • Perforation of the blood vessel, bladder, and bowel • Pain during intercourse
Medical device makers have a responsibility to make products that not only work but are safe for use. Every year, too many people suffer serious health complications because their device failed, malfunctioned, or was defective or dangerous in some other ways.
FDA Safety Communication: UPDATE on Serious Complications Associated with Transvaginal Placement of Surgical Mesh for Pelvic, FDA, July 13, 2011
Bard, Doctor Ordered To Pay $5.5 Million Over Implant, Bloomberg, July 25, 2012
More Blog Posts:
Woman Files Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Against Boston Scientific For Her Pain and Permanent Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, July 11, 2012
Boston Dangerous Drug Lawsuits: YAZ, Ocella, and Yasmin Birth Control Pills Linked to Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke, Heart Attack, and Myocardial Infarction Side Effects, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, June 19, 2012
Actos Lawsuits Allow Diabetes Patients to Pursue Dangerous Drug Compensation from Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, August 1, 2012