Bard Hernia Mesh Complications Are Hard to Overcome Following a Hernia Mesh Surgical Procedure

Many men and women undergo hernia repair surgeries, and it is considered a common surgical procedure today. When there has been a medical issue or trauma that weakens the person’s abdominal wall area of the body, a hernia can form. Hernias can be found in various areas of the body, including:

• Groin
• Indirect inguinal
• Direct inguinal
• Femoral
• Ventral
• Umbilical
• Epigastric
• Spigelian
• Lumbar
• Incisional

Hernia repair surgeries are performed using an open repair method or by a laparoscopic surgical procedure. The surgeon will review the hernia of the patient, then determine which surgery is best for the patient’s hernia as presented. Incidentally, if a laparoscopic surgery is used, studies show that there will be a lower incidence of pain and hospital time will be shortened. In the case where an open repair of a hernia is recommended, there will be a surgical procedure that is performed by a surgeon under general anesthesia to repair the hernia on the person’s body.

The Bard hernia product 3D Max mesh is often used in unilateral inguinal hernia repair surgical procedures, and had been deemed as safe to use by the hernia manufacturer.² Every moment of the surgical procedure must be monitored, to prevent issues and contamination with the product of the Bard hernia mesh, to avoid infection from developing later on at the wound site. For example, if the Bard hernia mesh product becomes contaminated by anything in the surgical field, it can develop an infection in the patient. Similarly, if any unused mesh touches bodily fluids it can be contaminated before being inserted into the person’s body during a hernia surgical procedure. The surgeon must fashion the Bard hernia mesh to overlap the defective field in the person’s body, to allow for the proper mesh placement during the hernia surgery. This careful planning and placement of the hernia mesh will stop the potential problem of any excessive gaps or unwanted tension in the area of the tissue and hernia being repaired.

Any surgeon who uses a Bard hernia mesh to ameliorate a patient’s hernia, need to be extremely careful to avoid illicit contact with the person’s nerves, blood vessels and the spermatic cord. If there is unwanted penetration into the nerves it can cause the hernia mesh to wrongfully adhere to an organ which may be a serious complication for the patient. The 3D Max Light Mesh has to be used as it is and appropriately sized for the hernia surgery, as the product cannot be cut or reshaped by the surgeon without risking the product failure as a result of this action. Even the right sutures need to be used to affix the Bard hernia mesh, meaning that it may be recommended to use nonabsorbable monofilament sutures to ensure a proper seal for using the device during a hernia mesh surgery. The manufacturer’s recommendations for the use of the product need to be reviewed in its entirety, to make sure that the hernia mesh surgery has the most success after the completion of the surgical procedure. Complications that can occur related to this procedure using a Bard hernia mesh can include:¹

• Soft tissue infections
• Soft tissue injuries
• Allergies to the hernia mesh
• Adverse reactions to the hernia mesh
• Formation of fistula
• Erosion of tissue around the mesh
• Migration of the hernia mesh
• Adhesion of the hernia mesh to organs
• Inflammation within the body
• Pain at the site of the surgery
• Hematoma at the site of the surgery
• Seroma associated with the surgery
• Extrusion associated with the surgery

If you have experienced a medical complication with the surgery following the implantation of a Bard hernia mesh product, you can call our law office to review your personal injury claim today.

Yes, there can be a chance that a hernia can return after a Bard hernia mesh is implanted in the body to repair an initial hernia. The Bard CruraSoft hernia mesh can cause complications even over 10 years after the implantation of that hernia mesh into the body. For example, there can be the incidence of a recurring hiatal hernia with complications related to dysphagia for solid and liquid foods, as well as other gastrointestinal complications after the use of a Bard CruraSoft hernia mesh was used in a hernia repair surgical procedure. People who have been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease with a hiatal hernia have had surgical procedures with the Bard CruraSoft mesh and experienced mesh migration, dysphagia and other complications associated with the use of this hernia mesh.³

A hernia mesh surgery will repair a hernia, but there can be detrimental problems that occur after the surgical procedure that will prolong the recovery from the hernia surgical operation. There are many risk factors associated with a hernia, that can later become a medical complication related to other serious chronic medical conditions, which can include:

• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Genetic conditions
• Trauma in the bowel area
• Constant heavy lifting for a job

A hernia can push out the internal organs through a hole that has formed in the abdominal wall area of the body. The hernia itself is highly likely to cause great discomfort, pain and pulling of the muscles in the area of the hernia. Once a hernia forms, it does not go away on its own. It is then necessary to have a hernia repair surgical procedure, which will repair the hernia. But many times, the hernia mesh surgery will exacerbate other issues in the individual, which can lead to a medical disaster after a hernia mesh is implanted.

A healthcare professional will diagnose a hernia and suggest a hernia repair operation to repair the hernia. Surgical hernia mesh materials are often used to repair a weak abdominal wall in the area of the hernia. Hernia meshes can be made of:

• Synthetic materials
• Biological mesh
• Composite mesh materials (synthetic polymer and natural/synthetic materials)

The Bard Davol, Inc. hernia meshes include the:

• Ventralight™ ST Mesh
• Sepramesh™ IP Composite
• Composix™ L/P Mesh

The Bard mesh is meant to have a hydrogel with a bioresorbable coating to resorb in one month, the mesh promotes increased growth of tissue in the human body, and the mesh is light and able to be cut to a custom fit. These meshes may be prone to defects, which can be harmful if inserted into your body during a hernia mesh surgical repair procedure.

Although the advantages of using composite hernia meshes are that they are of a good mechanical strength and have a lower incidence of forming fistulae, composite hernia meshes can cause many serious complications such as inflammation in the body. Infections from hernia meshes can be quite serious, and can even lead to sepsis and death if not properly treated. The types of complications from a hernia mesh includes:

• Infectious disease transmission
• Mechanical instability
• Hernia recurrence
• Complete absorption with infections
• Inflammation
• Scar tissue formation
• Fibrous ingrowth in the prothesis
• Low anatomic adaptability
• Chronic inflammatory reactions
• Adhesion risks
• Dense adhesions
• Low mesh compliance
• Incomplete wound healing
• Defective mesh structure
• Aggressive macrophage inflammation reactions
• Chronic pain in area of surgical mesh

Obviously, the hernia mesh is meant for a single use application, and cannot under any circumstances be reused, reformed and repackaged for another time, or sterilized again for use with another procedure. There is the problem of a mesh failure that can severely injure the person receiving the operation for the hernia mesh if there is a reprocessed use of the Bard hernia mesh during the operation or surgical procedure.¹ The surgeon needs to review the correct procedures to implant the Bard hernia mesh, to avoid any cross infection, contamination, or other issues which may result in a personal injury, surgical infection illness or even be the reason for the death of a patient who receives a Bard hernia mesh product.

The use of laparoscopic surgical procedures to manage and repair inguinal hernias have been able to develop revolutionarily since the early 1980s when these surgeries first begun. The current use of laparoscopic preperitoneal (TEP and TAPP) procedures have been noted as being the preferred method of hernia repair by physicians, over the use of the standard open Lichtenstein repair protocols.² Surgeons use laparoscopic surgeries for hernia repairs to avoid the areas where the inguinal nerves are located, to prevent issues or accidental cutting of these nerves during the hernia repair surgical procedure. The use of the hernia mesh can help to prevent the recurrence of a hernia for that patient diagnosed with a hernia. The Bard 3D mesh includes a lightweight mesh that can harbor infections that can attach and become acquired after the hernia mesh is surgically placed in the person’s body.

In the case that you have had a complication with a Bard hernia mesh product, you may have additional medical problems that will arise after your hernia mesh surgical procedure. If you have questions regarding the worth, value or settlement procedures related to a Bard composite hernia mesh lawsuit, you need to call our law office today to talk about your concerns. We are available to take your call at the Law Offices of Gary K. Walch, and you can call us at 866-INJURY2 or 866-465-8792.

References

¹Analatos, A., Håkanson, B. S., Ansorge, C., Lindblad, M., Lundell, L., & Thorell, A. (2024). Hiatal Hernia Repair With Tension-Free Mesh or Crural Sutures Alone in Antireflux Surgery: A 13-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Surgery, 159(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2023.4976

²Faessen, J. L., Duijsings, E. S. R., Boerma, E. G., Broos, P. P. H. L., van Vugt, R., & Stoot, J. H. M. B. (2023). The first experience with the Dextile anatomical mesh in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Hernia: the Journal of Hernias and Abdominal Wall Surgery, 27(5), 1203–1208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-023-02855-3

³Priego, P., Ruiz-Tovar, J., & de Oteyza, J. P. (2012). Long-term results of giant hiatal hernia mesh repair and antireflux laparoscopic surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques. Part A, 22(2), 139-141.