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Diana Picolla from Florida filed her product liability claim against the makers of the popular brand of hernia mesh, known as Physiomesh.

According to Picolla, she developed painful complications following a hernia repair, which required multiple revision surgeries and she suffered personal injuries from side effects with the Ethicon Physiomesh.

Picolla filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that Johnson & Johnson and its Ethicon subsidiary manufactured and sold a defective product, which may lead to chronic pain, infection, migration, deformation of the mesh, adhesions to internal organs, erosion and other severe side effects.

Picolla underwent surgery for an incisional hernia repair in 2010, and a patch of Physiomesh Composite mesh was laparoscopically implanted in her body. Picolla claims that the Physiomesh failed, causing serious injuries that resulted in the need for the mesh to be surgically removed.

What is Ethicon Physiomesh?

Ethicon Physiomesh was approved in March 2010 and is one of the most popular hernia mesh devices to be used during hernia repair surgery. The mesh device has been dinged by reports of serious complications following hernia repair, requiring risky surgical procedures to remove the device.

Ethicon during its internal investigation could not find the cause of these hernia repair problems, and so decided to withdraw the product from the market worldwide in May 2016. The Ethicon hernia mesh recall was classified as a “market withdrawal” in the United States, but all hospitals were asked to return unused implants and the manufacturer does not intend to return the product to the market.

Ethicon uses plastic or polypropylene to make the base layer of the Physiomesh. The Physiomesh is used for laparoscopic ventral (abdominal) and inguinal (groin) hernia repair.

The FDA approved it with a 510(k) application, which allowed it on the market without new safety studies because it was “similar” to other types of hernia mesh on the market.

Polypropylene is the same material that Ethicon used to make their transvaginal mesh and bladder slings. Ethicon is exposed to thousands of lawsuits over its polypropylene transvaginal mesh and bladder slings. Ethicon added an absorbable film coating to each side of the polypropylene to create the Physiomesh.

Federal Multidistrict Litigation Pending

A motion was filed in March with U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), requesting transfer all federally-filed cases to the Middle District of Florida for coordinated discovery pretrial proceedings. The panel is expected to announce coordination in early June.

Dr. Shezad Malik law firm continues to investigate Ethicon Physiomesh personal injury claims from across the country. If you or a loved have been injured by Ethicon Physiomesh, including perforation, pain, infections and re-do surgery, please contact our office immediately for your free consultation.

One Comment

  1. Gravatar for Janet Riggins
    Janet Riggins

    2 hernia surgeries done laparoscopic due to faulty mesh made by Proceed. Is a lawsuit possible? Please reply.

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