Vaginal mesh implants were introduced as a routine treatment for stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and common complications following childbirth. The mesh is a plastic netlike implant that comes in several forms. However, these flexible plastic nets have led to life-altering complications for many women including nerve damage, chronic pain, and several reported deaths. Researchers have struggled to determine how often these issues occur, current estimates lie between 15% and 25%. What is clear is that when complications do arise they are often severe and life-limiting, far more so than the original condition they were intended to treat.
A report was published on 9 July 2020 by Baroness Cumberlege which outlined clearly the treatment, of lack of, which has been afforded to women who have suffered complications. Within the report it is said that these complications were dismissed as mere “women’s issues”. The report also revealed that in many cases where viable alternatives existed, they were not availed of. Such acts on the part of the Medical Profession were in Baroness Cumberlege opinion totally “avoidable” and “compounded by failings in the health system itself.”
There has been renewed calls from the Medical profession to only utilise mesh in very select circumstances. Indeed, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reiterated this selective use amidst calls from Senior Doctors that an inquiry should be conducted concerning the use of Mesh and the complications that have arose.
Unsurprisingly legal action has been initiated across Europe and the USA concerning the implementation of mesh and the ever emerging horror stories that sadly women are experiencing. Johnson & Johnson are understood to produce the majority of vaginal mesh products used in the UK.
Our office currently represent clients who have suffered such complications . If you have undergone a vaginal mesh procedure in a hospital in Northern Ireland and are suffering from symptoms, please get in touch with our personal injury solicitors for further advice. We can assure you that such cases will be conducted with the utmost confidentiality and sensitivity. You can contact our office for a free enquiry on 02890312355 or email [email protected].
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