Victims Suffering Serious Complications of Vaginal Mesh Implants Urged To Seek Legal Advice

Thousands of women in the U.K. have been fitted with vaginal mesh implants despite concerns raised by regulators and experts across the world. Vaginal Mesh Implants are used to treat Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), and around 92,000 women in the U.K. alone have been fitted with the synthetic polypropylene mesh devices.

The number of adverse incidents reported is said to be in the thousands, and the problems that can arise if the implant fails are often serious and life-changing, including incontinence and loss of sexual function.

Concerns Over Care For Patients

Concerns raised over advice given to patients.

The implants have not been classed as "defective" by the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and no recall has been initiated in the U.K. The major concern is with the advice given to women about what could happen if things go wrong; what other options are available; and the skill of the surgeon implanting the device.

The MHRA previously ordered a review of the implants in 2012 and came to the conclusion that the benefits of vaginal mesh implants outweighed the risks. However, expert advice says that surgeons need to follow stringent guidelines put in place by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), but this is reportedly not being followed. In fact, there are surgeons carrying out the procedures when their own Trust has banned the use of the implants, and the care standards set in place by NICE are not being followed by all clinicians.

Can You Claim?

The major worry about the use of the implants is the quality of the advice being given to patients and the lack of specialist surgeons carrying out the procedure.  A victim who suffers because of either poor advice or negligent surgery may have a claim for compensation.

If you have suffered problems from having a mesh implant, read the guidelines below. If your vaginal mesh implant has failed, you may have a claim for compensation.

Given the potential for serious complications, the NICE guidelines say clinicians should:

• Inform the clinical governance leads in their NHS Trusts. This is the system used by the NHS for continually improving the quality of services.
• Ensure patients understand the uncertainty about the procedure's safety and efficacy; including that there is the potential for the procedure to fail and cause serious long-term complications.
• Ensure patients understand that the mesh implant is intended to be permanent, meaning that removal, if required, may be difficult or impossible.
• Audit and review outcomes of using the implants.

Patients should also be provided with clear written information. The recommendation is to use NICE's own advice.

When it comes to the decisions by clinicians to proceed with the treatment, and the experience and skill of the surgeon required, the guidelines say:

• Patient selection should be done by a multidisciplinary team with experience in the assessment and management of women with stress urinary incontinence.
• The procedure should only be carried out by clinicians with specific training in transobturator surgical techniques.
• Removal of a short sling mesh should only be done by people with expertise in this specialised surgery.

Source: NICE (https://www.nice.org.uk)

Guidance from Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS Medical Director for England, is as follows:

• All other options have been explored and are no longer effective in reducing symptoms of POP and incontinence.
• Patients understand the potential long term side effects of the mesh implants which include a number of complications.
• Surgeons should audit and review all clinical outcomes of the patients who underwent surgical repair of the vaginal wall due to the prolapse of the mesh.

IF ANY OF THE ABOVE GUIDELINES WERE NOT FOLLOWED FOR YOUR VAGINAL MESH PROCEDURE, PLEASE CONTACT OUR TEAM NOW WHO ARE ALREADY FIGHTING FOR COMPENSATION AS A RESULT OF NEGLIGENT TREATMENT

Clinicians Ignoring Guidelines

One of the main issues is the failure of clinicians to properly advise patients and follow the NICE guidelines

Although the safety of the device continues to be questioned, U.K. regulators, the MHRA, said that the benefits of using vaginal mesh implants outweighed the risks, and have reported that there appears to be no safety irregularities between the different implants available on the market. They also noted that the number of adverse incidents are deemed to be low.

However, their research suggests that some women are more susceptible to complications than others, and the skill of the surgeon and the care of the clinicians can affect the success of the procedure. In fact, evidence shows there are clinicians who are failing to follow the key advice put in place by regulatory and advisory bodies, and there are cases where surgeons have gone against the NHS Trust they work for to carry out the procedure even where it is banned.

One surgeon in particular, Mr Arunkalaivanan, continued to use the mesh implant treatment despite the fact that the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust whom he worked for had banned them. The discovery of Mr Arunkalaivanan's actions led to a recall of patients under his care because he could not have followed the guidelines in place by NICE given that the Trust was unaware he was carrying out the banned procedure.

We are currently fighting for compensation as a result of the actions of Mr Arunkalaivanan who, in our view, acted irresponsibly.

The Problems Caused By The Devices

If the procedure fails, women can be left with irreversible damage...

The procedure is intended to be permanent, meaning that removal of the device can be fraught with serious complications. The anchoring system used to fix the mesh in place can make it difficult, or impossible, to remove.

Studies indicate that 1 in 11 women who have had vaginal mesh implants fitted have experienced problems and complications, including:

In extreme cases, some women have reported crippling pain to the extent that they require high doses of opiates. Some have been declared disabled as their mobility is directly affected as a result of the mesh protruding through the womb.

In one extreme case, a woman suffering from "crippling pain" underwent a hysterectomy, but it later transpired that the pain was being caused by her vaginal mesh implant. Not only has she had her womb removed, but she has been left with permanent pain and is unable to fully care for herself.

NICE is encouraging additional research in to the use of the mesh implants and for the long term outcomes to be closely monitored.

Compensation In The U.K.

Our Group Action Lawyers are investigating both the safety of the device as well as negligent care and advice to patients

We are fighting for compensation on behalf of victims affected in the U.K. as we believe that the safety of the devices, together with what we believe are cases of gross negligence where clinicians have failed to follow the regulatory guidelines, has led to a number of women suffering horrendous complications from the procedure failing.

Our Group Action Lawyers fight some of the biggest organisations in the world to help thousands of people claim compensation. Our particular expertise in group action cases, medical negligence, and product safety claims is essential for any victim to have the best possible chance of not only recovering the compensation they deserve, but also to ensure that any compensation payable is just and fair.

The majority of the clients we act for are involved in group actions and we're fighting in some of the biggest group actions in the U.K. The law for medical claims and product safety is often complex. Having fought for victims in some of the most well-known U.K. medical product claims, like the PIP breast Implant Scandal and the Metal-On-Metal Hip Implants cases, your claim is safe with us.

Specialist Legal Representation For Medical Product Group Action Claims

Complex areas of law require specialist Group Action Lawyers - and that's what we are

Our mission is simple - to use the combination of our experience and specialism in the areas of group action, medical claims, and product law to fight for justice for anyone who has suffered as a result of the use of vaginal mesh implants.

In the U.S., a payout of around $2 billion has been agreed, and we are fighting for the same justice here in the U.K.

This is a particularly harrowing case where many women have suffered life-altering complications. Although we cannot turn back the clock, we can help you recover financial compensation.

The largest payout in the U.S. was $5.5 million, and we want to ensure similar justice here in the U.K. for anyone who has suffered.

You Do Not Have To Suffer In Silence With Our No Win, No Fee Guarantee

We know the idea of legal claims can be concerning for a lot of people, and even more so when it's something that is very sensitive in nature.

You can rest assured that you are in safe hands with our Group Action Lawyers. We helped a large proportion of the victims of the PIP Breast Implant Scandal which was also sensitive in nature, and we continue to fight for a number of women affected in both the U.K. and in French legal proceedings. We have also represented victims in some of the most confidential and sensitive medical actions that have ever arisen in the U.K.

Not only do we offer supportive legal services, but we can also agree to work on a No Win, No Fee basis, meaning you don't have to worry about paying our costs if the case is lost. We know this is important. Most people simply cannot afford to fund their own legal claims, which is why we offer No Win, No Fee representation.

Get In Touch TODAY!

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