Transvaginal Mesh Attorney in Fulton
Physicians once used transvaginal mesh to treat women with pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence. Sadly, the devices turned out to be terribly defective and had numerous side effects. Women who were already suffering were further pained by this defective device. Transvaginal mesh injury cases have recently reached massive numbers.
How Transvaginal Mesh Was Supposed to Work
Scientists at Boston Scientific designed the first transvaginal mesh to treat two common but serious conditions in women. The first condition the mesh was supposed to address is pelvic organ prolapse, or POP. POP occurs when the vaginal walls become too weak to support the surrounding organs. This leads to problems in urinary and bowel functions as well as extreme discomfort during everyday activities.
Another condition doctors hoped transvaginal mesh would treat is stress urinary incontinence or SUI. SUI is very common among women, especially those who have delivered children vaginally. Affected women involuntarily release urine during mundane activities: exercising, sneezing, laughing, coughing, or even just standing.
What Transvaginal Mesh Actually Did
While the creators of transvaginal mesh had noble goals in mind, the results were not what anyone expected. Soon, patients and their doctors found that transvaginal mesh would shrink, erode, become exposed, or migrate through surrounding tissue. When this occurs, the consequence can be devastating, severely reducing quality of life for victims.
These defective tendencies in transvaginal mesh led to a laundry list of side effects, including:
- Severe pain in the pelvic region.
- Infections.
- Perforation of organs.
- Recurring prolapse or incontinence.
- Pain during sexual intercourse or the complete inability to have sexual intercourse.
Cases of Transvaginal Mesh Defects
Depending on the specifics of the case, injuries from transvaginal mesh fall under either medical malpractice or product liability. The type of claim to file depends on whether the injury was the result of improper medical care (medical malpractice) or defective devices (product liability).
Most transvaginal mesh injuries are the result of defects in the mesh. Plaintiffs – those injured – generally file as product liability cases. To prove a product liability case involving defective medical devices, plaintiffs must prove:
- They suffered an injury or loss.
- The product was defective in some capacity.
- The product’s defect directly led to their injury.
Some cases of injuries involving transvaginal mesh are not the result of the mesh being defective, but result from a medical professional’s improper actions during the placement of the mesh. This makes it a medical malpractice case and the plaintiff must prove:
- A doctor-patient relationship existed between the plaintiff and the defendant (person being sued).
- The doctor acted negligently. Negligent actions are those that do not meet standards of care for the profession.
- Their negligence caused the plaintiff’s injury.
- The injury must have caused measurable damages to the plaintiff.
At Discepolo Firm our lawyers are experts in dealing with transvaginal mesh cases. Attorney Don Discepolo has, by himself, filed more than seventy of these suits in Columbia Federal Court. He expects another 200 cases will be forthcoming in the next months. All of our lawyers working on transvaginal mesh cases have filed litigation against the four largest manufacturers of transvaginal mesh:
- Johnson & Johnson
- R. Bard
- AMS (American Medical Systems)
- Scientific
Some of these cases have already settled, but if you or a member of your family is the victim of defective transvaginal mesh, you may still be entitled to compensation. The compassionate attorneys at Discepolo Firm understand the challenges women who have been the victims of transvaginal mesh injuries face. You have many options when choosing a lawyer to advocate for you, choose a team who understands the difficulty you face and has the experience to take your case to trial. Contact us today.