Update 2024: We are no longer reviewing potential hernia mesh lawsuits for UK and EU Victims with hernia mesh manufactured by Bard / Davol. Victims in the EU, Great Britain, Canada, the UK , Scotland and across the world with hernia mesh manufactured by Bard / Davol, who suffer complications, may have great difficulty getting compensation and justice from the United States legal system.
- Missed a deadline / statute of limitations in your country to get compensated for defective C. R. Bard / Davol mesh?
- Do you feel you waited too long and cannot be compensated in your Country?
- Are there a lack of Bard lawsuits in your country to get justice for your defective mesh?
- Are you unable to find a hernia mesh lawyer in your home country to file a surgical mesh lawsuit to hold Bard Medical accountable for their alleged wrongdoing?
- Does your countries judicial system limit or deny you fair compensation for your complications?
Get a nearly unlimited, extended deadline to file a Bard lawsuit in U.S.!
EU and UK hernia mesh victims may file in United States Courts
These lawsuits are not a class actions in the United States. They are individual lawsuits that have been consolidated for pretrial purposes and settlement. Victims in Scotland, Canada, Wales and worldwide cannot get the benefit of an extended, nearly limitless statute of limitation for mesh manufactured by Bard and their subsidiary Davol. We do not even require a revision surgery in order for us to consider your Bard / Davol case for a lawsuit. It is highly unlikely that you would be required to visit the United States to get your share of a potential hernia mesh settlement.
- The MASTER LONG FORM COMPLAINT AND JURY DEMAND in the coordinated proceeding in Rhode island for the Bard hernia mesh lawsuits known as IN RE: DA VOL/ CR. BARD HERNIA MESH MULTI—CASE MANAGEMENT does not specifically exclude international victims. The long form complaint specifically states “Plaintiffs include men and women Who had one or more of Defendants’ hernia mesh products listed in Paragraphs 19 and 20 of this Master Long Form Complaint (hereinafter “Master Complaint”) inserted in their bodies to treat hernia(s).”
UK and EU hernia mesh lawsuit
Hernia mesh complications are not something that is limited to the United States, even though much of the publicity about the side effects has come from the U.S. Recently, stories are emerging that demonstrate that hernia mesh complications are a problem worldwide. Hernia mesh is used around the world and has been a widely used product for decades. In the United Kingdom, there is a relatively higher rate of hernia mesh complications. These side effects have been causing ruin to the lives of patients who experience them.
What Is Hernia Mesh?
Hernia mesh is not a monolithic product that has only one type or composition. Instead, there are many different types of hernia mesh available in the marketplace. Still, the major type of hernia mesh that is in use is polypropylene mesh. This is a material that is made out of a plastic-type substance. This is the same material that is used in auto parts and consumer products. The polypropylene mesh is inserted into the body as a medical device and becomes part of the body. The mesh is permanent and the tissue grows around it.
Hernia Mesh Complications
There are a number of different complications that can arise when hernia mesh surgeries go bad. The first major complication is that the mesh can fail and the patient needs follow-up surgery. While mesh has a lower failure rate than other types of hernias, some types of mesh actually have a higher rate of complications. The mesh may also shrink and migrate out of place in the body. When the mesh disintegrates, there may be pieces of the mesh that moves around the body, causing harm to the internal organs that it contacts. The mesh may also become infected because it is not inert, as it has been advertised.
In U.K. hernia surgeries, the mesh can be a ticking time bomb that patients carry around in their bodies. Mesh can fail at any time after surgery. There have been stories of patients beginning to experience debilitating pain many years after surgery, even after being pain-free for a decade or more after the procedure. Since mesh never fully blends in with the body, there is always a possibility that infections can develop years later or the mesh can disintegrate over time.
In any event, hernia mesh side effects such as pain, organ adhesion, mesh migration and infection,can be debilitating. There are numerous stories in the U.K. of patients who have suffered devastating consequences. These side effects can be life-altering.
U.K. Hernia Mesh Statistics
Hernias are as prevalent of a surgery in the U.K. as they are in other countries such as Canada. It is estimated that one in every ten citizens of the U.K. will develop a hernia over the course of their lifetime. In the U.K., there are over 100,000 hernia surgeries each year. In 2018, the number rose to 135,000 patients having the surgery. Any U.K. or EU citizen may develop a hernia, and the condition can affect men or women regardless of their age.
Most hernia surgeries in the U.K. rely on the use of mesh. According to a recent study, nearly three-quarters of the hernia surgeries in the U.K. involve the use of mesh. Whether a surgery uses mesh depends on the type of surgery that it is. Inguinal hernias are the most common type of hernia and sometimes thought of as the least severe occurrence of the condition. In the U.K., 95% of inguinal hernias are repaired by the use of mesh since the surgery is perceived to be routine. There is the thought that the more routine that the surgery is, the easier it is to use mesh to repair it. Umbilical and incisional hernias are more complicated types of hernia surgeries. As a result, they have a lower rate of mesh usage. Mesh is relied on in roughly half of the umbilical hernia surgeries and approximately 82% of incisional hernias.
Complications from Hernia Mesh in the U.K.
The complication rate from hernia mesh surgery in the U.K. is frightening. While hernia mesh surgery is described to patients as a routine operation, the problem is that complications can develop after the surgery. Hernia mesh can be a ticking time bomb that stays in the body permanently. Side effects can flare up years after the initial surgery. One particular news account placed the rate of sufferers from hernia mesh complications at between 12 and 30 percent. In the U.K., this means that there can be upwards of 100,000 patients who suffer from hernia mesh complications just from the surgeries that were performed over a six-year period. The upper end of this band based on these percentages is up to 170,000 patients suffering from these complications.
Recently, there have been a number of news reports about the number of UK. citizens who may be suffering from hernia mesh complications. These articles have questioned the fact that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not placed any curbs on the use of hernia mesh. There has been a furor in the U.K. about the use of mesh in general. Transvaginal mesh caused serious complications for countless women worldwide, and hernia mesh has become associated with the other doomed product. As such, there has been considerable pressure to cut back on the use of all mesh.
Pressure to Regulate Hernia Mesh
The MHRA has begun to face pressure from members of parliament for its failure to regulate hernia mesh more vigorously. One MP, Owen Smith, has predicted that hernia mesh will become a major scandal in the UK. as the reports of serious side effects proliferate. The MHRA has been under increasing fire in the area for its failure to more closely track side effects.
The MHRA claims that it does not have any evidence that hernia mesh is unsafe that would cause it to take any regulatory action. Currently, the MHRA views that as an issue between the doctor and patient. In addition, the Royal College of Surgeons still maintains that hernia meshes are the most effective option for the treatment of hernias. Despite the news reports of patients suffering devastating side effects, it does not appear that the position of the regulator or the Royal College will be changing anytime soon. Even after news reports emerged of the number of people suffering from complications, the Royal College cited the fact that every surgery carries risks and claimed that hernias without mesh had equivalent to higher rates of complications. Further rationalizing the use of mesh, the Royal College claims that the eye-popping number of complications includes patients who suffered minor difficulties after their surgeries.
Not only is the regulator not acting at all, but there is little policy to treat and follow-up on hernia mesh complications. The National Health Service has been criticized for its passivity in this area and the fact that it does not have any consistent method to treat those who are suffering from hernia mesh complications.
List of countries in the EU:
- Austria
- Belgium,
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Hernia Mesh Activists in the U.K.
There are activists that have launched public campaigns against the use of hernia mesh. However, they are facing an uphill battle because hernia mesh is a more affordable surgical option in spite of the higher risk for side effects. Dr. Sohier (“Suzy”) Elneil has been campaigning against the use of hernia mesh for the better part of two decades. Only recently, has she begun to find a receptive audience for her message. While the public has begun to listen to the message, the regulators are still loath to listen.
Polypropylene Hernia Mesh manufactured by C.R. Bard (Bard Medical)
- Composix
- Composix E/X
- Composix L/P
- Ventralight
- Spermatex
- Sepramesh
- Ventralex
- Ventralex ST
- Kugel Patch
- Composix Kugel
- Ventrio
- Visilex
- Ventrio ST
- Marlex
- Perfix Plug
- Perfix Light Plug
- 3D Max-Lite
- 3D Max
*C.R Bard and its subsidiary Davol Inc. are now owned by Becton Dickinson who re-branded C.R. Bard as “Bard Medical.”
Hernia Mesh in Scotland and Wales
Hernia mesh has degenerated into a near full-blown scandal in Scotland, where the complication rate is as high as 30 percent. Scottish women were physically devastated by the defective pelvic organ prolapse mesh. There are estimates that there are as many as five times more hernia mesh patients in Scotland as there are pelvic organ prolapse patients. Hernia mesh patients in Scotland have begun to speak out about the crippling pain and problems they face after their surgeries. Politicians have called on the Scottish regulator to suspend the use of hernia mesh in the country. Scottish patients have had difficulty finding surgeons in the country who can remove the mesh completely, and have been forced to seek help in England.
Similarly, the use of hernia mesh in Wales has also begun to become controversial. Welsh politicians fought for pelvic organ prolapse mesh to be investigated. Now, they are turning their attention to the use of hernia mesh. The Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services has requested that the Deputy Chief Medical Office undertake a clinically-based review of hernia mesh use.
Dai Greene’s Hernia Mesh Nightmare
The actual complications encountered have been devastating for patients, causing life-altering pain and debilitating discomfort. One story of a prominent athlete has been generating attention in the U.K. and has focused the spotlight on the problems associated with hernia mesh. Track athlete Dai Greene went public with his story about how hernia mesh complications cost him five years of his career. Greene was initially told that he was having routine surgery to repair a hernia. Shortly after his surgery, Greene began to experience excruciating pain that prevented him from training. For over four years after his surgery, Greene was barely even able to race. In 2017, he attempted only one race and could not even finish.
Initially, Greene would only let on that he was battling a continuous cycle of injuries. However, he eventually revealed that the string of injuries was related to hernia mesh complications. In Greene’s case, the hernia mesh that was implanted in his body frayed and it became entangled with nerves that were in his pelvis. These are common side effects from hernia mesh. Greene had several follow-up surgeries to try to fix the hernia, but these were not successful and the pain still persisted. Eventually, he had to undergo two different surgeries to remove the hernia mesh. These procedures finally relieved him of the constant pain that he felt. Greene eventually discussed his side effects with the media in order to warn patients of the dangers that could result from a seemingly innocuous surgery.
While Greene’s story drew media attention due to his celebrity, thousands of average people in the U.K. have also suffered these devastating complications. The U.K. media, alert to the possibility of a new mesh scandal, has begun to feature some of these stories. Numerous patients have publicly aired how hernia mesh surgery ruined their lives. Some have even gone so far as to attempt suicide. While there has been more awareness of possible hernia mesh complications, there have been no steps yet taken to restrict the availability of hernia mesh in the U.K..
Why You Need a Hernia Mesh Lawyer
Hernia mesh manufacturers can be found liable for selling a defective product no matter where the surgery took place. If your hernia mesh is causing you intense pain and was made by a U.S. company, they can be found liable in U.S. court for the problems with their product. You do not have to suffer side effects without any form of compensation. When a manufacturer places a defective product on the market, they are legally responsible to the people who are ultimately harmed by that product. However, in order to begin the process of receiving fair compensation for your injuries, you will need effective legal representation. U.S. law ensures that there are consequences for those who design and sell defective products, and these companies can be made to pay for the damage that you suffered. While this will not necessarily give you the life back that defective hernia mesh has taken from you, it will at least help you and your family deal with the nightmare in which you have been placed.