Hernia mesh removal

What is hernia mesh removal, and why is it done?

Hernia mesh is a device that gives extra support to weak tissue after a hernia repair. Many types are made to stay in the body for good. Removal is surgery to take the mesh out. The research section below describes when studies used it.

A hernia happens when an organ, part of the gut or fat pushes through a weak spot in muscle. Most hernia repairs in the U.S. use mesh, because it lowers the chance that the hernia comes back.

Most mesh is either man-made or made from pig or cow tissue. Mesh that the body does not absorb stays in for good, though it may break down a bit over time. Other mesh is slowly absorbed.

FDA lists problems that can follow any hernia repair, with or without mesh. They include pain, infection, the hernia coming back, and scar tissue that sticks organs together. With mesh, the mesh itself can also move or shrink.

When should I talk to my doctor about hernia mesh removal?

Talk to your surgeon if you have new or lasting pain, signs of infection, or a bulge that comes back after a repair. Only you and your surgeon can weigh the risks of taking mesh out against leaving it in. Never have a device removed just for a lawsuit.

A recall does not always mean an implant has to come out. FDA says makers often ask doctors to talk with patients about the risk of removing a device compared with leaving it in place.

Before you decide, make a list of questions for your surgeon. Ask what the surgery involves, what could go wrong, and what may happen if the mesh stays where it is.

How is mesh removal done, and how are problems treated?

Ask your surgeon to explain the plan, which depends on your first repair and the problem. That repair may have been open, through one cut, or done through small cuts with a thin camera. The operative report from it says how it was done.

Hernia repair surgery has risks, such as bleeding, blood clots and infection. It can also harm nerves, blood vessels or nearby organs, and the hernia can come back.

How to treat a mesh infection or other problem is a choice for you and your surgeon. This page does not suggest a care plan.

Which records matter after hernia mesh removal?

The operative report tells what the surgeon did and found, and what tissue was taken out. A pathology report describes anything sent to the lab after surgery. The records from your first repair may name the mesh.

FDA suggests getting the mesh maker, brand name, material and UDI from your doctor’s office or the hospital where you had surgery. A UDI is a code on the label that names the exact model and can include the lot number.

Ask the hospital whether your removed mesh was kept, and where it went. FDA’s form for reporting a device problem asks whether the device can be checked, or whether it went back to the maker.

A 2024 order in the Bard cases says people with cases must hand over records that identify the mesh. This includes records of the surgeries that put it in or took it out.

You have a right to copies of your health records, including scan images. Our medical records request tool helps you write the request.

What does research say about hernia mesh and removal?

FDA says mesh lowers the chance that a hernia comes back. It also says pain, infection and other problems can follow any hernia repair. Reports to FDA rarely prove that a device caused a problem.

Over 22 years, FDA received more than 55,000 problem reports that named hernia mesh. Pain, injury, infection, scar tissue and added surgery were among the problems listed most.

FDA also read 45 studies of coated and two-sided mesh. They tracked problems such as repeat surgery for mesh problems, mesh infection and long-lasting pain. These meshes were named in most problem reports sent to FDA. But the studies found no major difference between them and other hernia mesh.

A 2022 review of 18 studies looked at surgery for long-lasting groin pain after hernia repair. Surgeons often cut certain nerves and took out the mesh and stitches. Across the studies, 33% to 100% of patients had much less pain or none, and most studies were above 70%.

That review found no single standard plan for this surgery. It says surgery should come only after careful tests.

The court orders we read in the Bard mesh cases set steps for records and case filings. Orders like these are not findings that a mesh caused anyone’s harm.

Who brings claims in the Bard hernia mesh cases?

People who had Bard or Davol mesh made of polypropylene, a type of plastic, brought these federal cases. They say flaws in the mesh led to scar tissue, organ damage, infection and mesh that moved. A lawyer can look at your records and tell you if you may have a claim.

Not everyone in these cases has had mesh removed. In 2022, Bard told the court that a considerable number of cases involve mesh still in place or other issues. The judge turned down Bard’s request to screen cases early, for now.

The hernia mesh case page explains what is happening in the cases now.

Can a family member get records after hernia mesh removal?

Sometimes. A person named in a health care power of attorney can act for the patient and get the records tied to that role. For a child, a parent usually can, with a few exceptions.

While a patient is alive, a doctor may share details with family who help with care, if the patient does not object. When a patient has died, the executor or administrator of the estate stands in for them under the privacy rules. After a death, doctors may also tell family who helped with care about that care, unless the patient had said not to. State law sets many of the details.

For a death, our wrongful death case page gives a general overview of how those claims work.