Surgical Mesh Complications
Surgical mesh, a device made of metallic or polymeric material and implanted in the vaginal area, is used in transvaginal surgeries to support the organs and repair damaged tissues.
In recent years, it has posed a great danger in the quality of life. Since 2008, various cases of surgical mesh complications have been reported, in which some of the cases led to a number of vaginal mesh lawsuits that were filed against Bard Avaulta, Johnson & Johnson, and other surgical mesh manufacturers.
Some of the complications associated with the surgery include stress urinary incontinence (SUI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), infection, and pain. The implant of mesh in the vagina has caused severe damage to many patients, and required further operations and hospitalizations.
The device was designed to be placed through invasive surgery; however, most surgical mesh were found to be defective and infected, which caused side effects like bladder and blood vessel perforation.
Surgical Mesh Complications Overview
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), one of the most evident surgical mesh complications, is an involuntary leakage of urine that happens during bodily activities like coughing, exercising, laughing, and sneezing.
The loss of urine is a condition that results to abdominal pressure and pain, as caused by damaged pelvic muscles and tissues that assist the bladder and urethra in the body’s urinary functions.
Nevertheless, a patient suffering from SUI can improve the symptoms through behavioral modifications, pelvic floor exercise therapies, medication, or surgery.
Aside from SUI, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is also a complication associated with surgical mesh. It is a condition where the muscles and ligaments, which support the pelvic organs, break or weaken. This eventually causes the pelvic organs to fall out of place and destroys the support for the vagina.
This dropping of the urinary organs gradually weakens over time, which is why a patient suffering from POP should seek urgent medical treatment in order to prevent further complications.
