Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs when the pelvic organs slip out of place after the tissues that hold them in place start to weaken. This condition is most often seen in women who have had a hysterectomy or other abdominal or pelvic surgery that involved removing organs or muscle tissue. One way physicians treat POP is by inserting a surgical mesh to support the prolapsed organs.
Recently, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement urging caution in the use of surgical mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse. The FDA noted that complications caused by the mesh are not as “rare” as previously thought and that data collected from patients who have had the mesh inserted indicates that it does not treat POP more effectively than surgeries that don’t use the mesh; however, the risk of complications is higher. The FDA received nearly 3,000 complaints of complications related to surgical mesh between 2008 and 2010.
The FDA recommends additional studies on the safety and efficacy of transvaginal mesh insertions to treat pelvic organ prolapse or some kinds of incontinence. Meanwhile, the agency recommends that physicians seek other, non-mesh-using methods to treat these conditions.
If you or someone you love has suffered complications after receiving a surgical mesh, please don’t hesitate to contact an experienced Chattanooga transvaginal surgical mesh lawyer at Massey & Associates, P.C. For a free and confidential consultation, call us today at (423) 396-0720.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
