By Lesley Ranft

The Kugel Mesh Patch was meant to provide a solution for people suffering from hernias. There are 700,000 hernia surgeries performed each year. Yet, no one knew of the problems associated with the Kugel Mesh patch which is meant to be permanently inserted into the treatment area of the body. Unfortunately, there are many potential victims that have been exposed to faulty Kugel Mesh Patches. As early as 2001, reports of complications accumulated, but the Kugel Mesh maker did not conduct a product recall until 2007. As Joe Saunders, Attorney at Law, of Pinnellas Park, Florida explains, “It appears that there has been a failure to design out and guard against the risk of injury from the Kugel Mesh. The abdominal Kugel Mesh is subject to breakage which can puncture an organ. The mesh itself is prone to lose rigidity and may roll up inside the body which creates the risk of the tissue adhesions and other complications.” Complications resulting from the use of the Kugel Mesh Patch include:

• Bowel Obstruction
• Bowel Adhesions
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Bowel Perforation
• Tissue Adhesions
• Liver damage
• Liver failure

Several lots of the Kugel Mesh Patch for hernia repair had been recalled in the beginning of 2008. The final recall involving numerous lots of the drug did not come until after an initial 2007 recall of a select type of the Kugel Mesh Patch. Davol, the Kugel Patch manufacturer, had received an unusual number of complication reports from Kugel Mesh Patch users. Soon, the company uncovered defects in the memory recoil ring, including breakage of the ring, which may produce serious complications for patients using the ring. The lots with possible problems are those from December of 2005, March of 2006 and January of 2007. As Ed Jazlowiecki, Attorney at Law of Bristol, Connecticut explains, “The Kugel Mesh Patch has caused a significant number of serious injuries, including bowl perforation which requires surgery and is associated with risks for complications and death. This is particularly disturbing when there are better products on the market.”

Kugel Mesh Patch Recovery
Patients that received a Kugel Mesh Patch from one of the defective lots may be subject to surgery for the removal of the Kugel Mesh Patch. In addition, people receiving the Kugel Mesh may be subject to long term complications that inhibit daily life. As Kate Gillespie, Attorney at Law of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C.explains, “People whose doctors do not know about the Kugel Mesh defects often tell patients to be patient and wait it out. So, people think their problems will resolve themselves shortly. They soon learn that their problems are just the beginning and recovery may be a life long commitment.”

Reports of long term medical issues from the Kugel Mesh Patch include: muscle and tissue adhesions whereby the sticky surface of the mesh adheres to the intestines, stomach or surrounding tissue. Bowel infection, perforation and seaping wounds have also been documented. As Kate Gillespie explains, “The hernia operation is a simple procedure that does not usually involve unmanageable complications. Unlike the Kugel Mesh Patch, a hernia operation often involving permanent uncomfortable injuries.”