A common question we get at Daytona Hernia Center is, “What kind of mesh do you use, is it that lawsuit mesh?” Many patients have seen the ads for hernia mesh lawsuits and wonder exactly which mesh was the problem. The simple answer is there are several manufacturers and several types of mesh that generated a majority of the lawsuits. Three of the major mesh manufacturers were involved – Bard, Ethicon, and Atrium. They all had products that generated lawsuits and some resulted in mesh recalls. For Bard it was Ventralex, Composix, and the Perfix Plug. For Ethicon it was Physiomesh, Proceed, and the Prolene Hernia System. For Atrium it was C-Qur. Reasons cited in the recall and lawsuits included the mesh composition and coating, migration of the mesh into other organs (primarily the intestines), parts of the mesh becoming detached, significant inflammatory reactions to the mesh, chronic pain, high infection rates, and high hernia recurrence rates. Several of these products were recalled and are no longer in use. The FDA has allowed some of them to remain in use. Traditionally, polypropylene has been the most common mesh used. It has been implanted for over 50 years and has become the gold standard in mesh-based hernia repairs. Some patients ask, “Why do we use a mesh if there is a chance it could cause a problem?”. The answer is because a mesh repair has a much better outcome than a simple tissue repair in certain hernia types and sizes. The mesh repair has less pain after the surgery and the outcomes are much better in the long term (much less chance the hernia could come back). At Daytona Hernia Center we have preferred to use standard polypropylene mesh for the majority of our mesh-based hernia repairs. We try to place the mesh in an area of the body that limits the chance of it getting infected or moving around. Each hernia is different and one technique or mesh is not the standard for all cases. We try to perform the best hernia repair based on the patient’s hernia size and location as well as the patient’s activity level. We do not use any of the mesh products listed above and would discourage patients from having them implanted. We believe that a hernia repair done properly should be associated with a quick and uncomplicated recovery.
