There have been multiple lawsuits across the globe against manufacturers of pelvic mesh, a medical device that is used in the treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence, to claim compensation for suffering caused by the mesh being defective.
Many women suffer severe complications after being implanted with pelvic mesh, such as chronic pain, mesh exposure or erosion, vaginal scarring, recurring urinary tract infections and pain during intercourse.
The suffering caused by defective pelvic mesh is however not restricted only to the individual that has received the implant. Spouses, intimate partners, and family members have detailed how the debilitating complications suffered by their loved ones has affected their lives, and many have suffered a diagnosable secondary psychiatric injury.
There are various instances where individuals are unable to sustain physical and intimate relationships due to the complications, which eventually lead to a complete breakdown in familial relationships.
Some women are in constant pain post-surgery and fall into depression, causing a severe amount of psychological and emotional stress for their family members, who also have to assume the responsibility of looking after their household.
The polypropylene that the pelvic mesh is made from, is subject to oxidative degradation that causes the surface of the mesh to harden, become brittle, and crack, resulting in sharp edges that cut into surrounding tissue and leads to various injuries and complications after being implanted.
RH Lawyers Inc. (“RHL”) and Richard Spoor Inc. (“RSI”) have launched class action proceedings against Johnson & Johnson, Coloplast and various other associated manufacturers and distributors of pelvic mesh, on the basis that the pelvic mesh devices were defective. The class action seeks to claim for compensation on behalf of class members who were implanted with the mesh and class members who have suffered a diagnosable secondary psychiatric injury as a result of the complications suffered by those close to them.
