Kugel Mesh Injuries

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you were implanted with the Kugel Mesh during hernia surgery, you may have been promised an end to your hernia pain and an improved recovery period. However, the unfortunately reality may have proved very different if the ring in your Kugel Mesh broke, and the resulting sharp edges caused you significant injury, such as a perforated bowel. Ongoing pain, infection, even death have been the results of defective Kugel Mesh hernia repair patches.

If you have suffered serious injury or lost a loved one as a result of a defective Kugel Mesh patch, you may be able to receive compensation for your injuries. Although compensation cannot bring back what you have lost, it can help you and your family move forward after your injury. Please contact The Cochran Firm, Wisconsin, LLP at 1-800-INJURED or use our free case evaluation form to learn more.

Kugel Mesh Design

The Kugel Mesh is a hernia patch designed to help close a hole or defect that allows organs to protrude painfully out of their normal location. What distinguishes the Kugel Mesh patches is the memory ring around the outside of the patch designed to help it unfold once surgically implanted. The weld joining the ring is not always strong enough to withstand the forces it may be subjected to during either surgery or later, resulting in a break at the weld, making it a dangerous medical device.

Kugel Mesh Injuries

Broken memory rings create two sharp points that can then scrape, cut, or puncture nearby organs. The effect of the broken Kugel Mesh ring may be:

• Bowel irritation and inflammation
• Bowel obstruction
• Bowel perforation
• Chronic intestinal fistulae
• Infection
• Death

These painful or even lethal consequences have been reported by dozens of people who were implanted with the Kugel Mesh.

Davol's Response to Kugel Mesh Defects

Serious problems with the Kugel Mesh hernia repair patch first began to surface in 2002, after the introduction of the large and extra large versions of the patch. Although the number of broken rings was small, they seemed to disproportionately affect the extra-large version of the patch. Davol, the manufacturer of the Kugel Mesh, and a subsidiary of C.R. Bard, Inc., initially concluded that doctors were improperly folding the patch during hernia repair surgery and started holding training sessions for doctors.

Shortly thereafter, though, Davol tested the ring and found that the ring was failing at the weld, which may not have been strong enough to withstand the forces that might have been expected during the patch's implantation and use. Davol then issued a recall on the extra large versions of the patch, which it quickly extended to include the large version.

After the recalls were initiated, FDA officials visited the headquarters of Davol and found numerous problems with the company's quality control and error reporting system. The FDA found that many reports of failure and resulting injury, had been improperly reported. These inaccurate reports included a failure resulting in death being reported as a "serious injury," and three patient injuries being reported as "malfunctions," without properly reporting injuries.

Legal Response to Kugel Mesh Defects

Several patients who suffered serious injury as a result of Kugel Mesh have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer. A federal judge has ruled that even if a person received a patch not specifically included in a recall, they could still file a lawsuit, because many similar patches contained the same components and may have failed in a similar fashion.

If you have experienced serious injury or lost a loved one as a result of a defective Kugel Mesh hernia repair patch, the medical device injury lawyers at The Cochran Firm, Wisconsin, LLP stand ready to help. Combining the legal, medical, and financial resources of a nationwide law firm with the personal touch of a local office, we offer a free consultation and collect no fees unless we win your case. Please email us today or call 1-800-INJURED to see if we can help you.