Davol, Inc. and Abdominal Mesh

Brenda Fulmer, a partner in the Mass Tort Unit of Searcy Denney, has filed an individual lawsuit on behalf of an Islamorada businessman against hernia mesh manufacturer Davol, Inc., a division of C.R. Bard.

This defective medical product case involves a hernia mesh patch that failed to perform as intended, resulting in catastrophic injuries including additional surgeries, chronic infections, and formation of a fistula.  Bard and Davol have been sued by more than 3,000 plaintiffs who have suffered serious injuries following implantation of Kugel Composix hernia mesh patches.

These mesh products have been the subject of several recalls due to failure of an embedded plastic memory recoil ring, which can break or buckle and lead to migration of the patch and growth into the bowel and other vital organs.  Some of the hernia mesh products were “recalled” between December of 2005 and early 2007, but the recall notices were mostly sent to hospital supply departments and not to implanting surgeons and patients.  Also, there are certain sizes of the Kugel Composix mesh that have never been recalled by the manufacturer, despite evidence that all of the patches with the embedded memory recoil ring have the potential to cause harm in patients.  Unfortunately, the rings can break or buckle long after the initial surgery, such that patients in the coming years may continue to suffer unnecessarily as a result of this defectively-designed product.