Hernia Mesh Complications

Have you had surgery for a hernia, and had Kugel hernia mesh complications? If so, you should know that you may have legal options in handling this issue including being part of a Kugel mesh lawsuit.

What is a Hernia?

A hernia is a protrusion that occurs, often in the abdominal wall. An organ, such as the intestine, protrudes through a weakened area of muscle or tissue. A hernia can occur when someone strains lifting a heavy object, sneezes or coughs violently or strains during a bowel movement.

A hernia can also develop when someone is obese, or pregnant, and the extra weight in the abdomen creates a strain on a weak area.

Not only can hernias be extremely painful, they can also be dangerous. When the organ, such as the intestine, pushes through the stomach wall, it can encounter bacteria there. It can also become stuck in the small hole, and oxygen to that area can diminish. When that happens, cells can die and that section of the organ may need to be removed.

Hernia Surgery

Although not all hernias require treatment, those that create pain typically do. Doctors often recommend surgery to repair the weakened area and to reposition any protruding organ. This surgery is called a hernioplasty, and it involves bolstering the weakened area with a patch or mesh substance.

In recent years, many doctors used the Kugel mesh hernia patch during this surgery. Over time, however, patients have reported numerous problems.

Kugel Mesh Patch

The Kugel patch is an oval shaped device with a plastic ring surrounding the mesh. The ring acts as a spring, keeping the device in place. Following the surgery, however, patients began to experience problems when the ring broke. The hard plastic ring could puncture internal organs, causing perforated bowels or fistulas. In fact, over 80 patients have been injured or had hernia mesh complications from the ring breakage, some even fatal.

Initially, the manufacturers of Kugel did not acknowledge that the problem was based on the ring itself. Instead, they thought the doctors conducting the surgeries were inadvertently breaking the ring. Eventually, the manufacturers had to acknowledge that some of the problems were based on the device, and it was recalled.

Patient Options

Patients with the Kugel mesh patch who are not experiencing any problems are advised to keep the patch in place. New versions of the patch have been developed and may be used to replace broken ones.

Whether a ring is broken or not, patients face a tremendous amount of stress and distress, whether they have to monitor a currently functioning device or have to undergo a new surgery for a repair.

We believe the manufacturers of the Kugel patch should be held accountable to the patients for injuries that occurred due to a broken memory recoil ring. If you are affected by the Kugel mesh recall, you may be entitled to legal compensation. Please contact us to discuss your legal options including filing a hernia mesh lawsuit.

About the Author:

Robert Whitney is the author of this article on Hernia mesh recall. Find more information about Hernia mesh lawsuit here.