Hernia Mesh Revision Surgery

Hernia mesh revision surgery may be required or recommended when complications arise following hernia repair surgery in which hernia mesh was used. Sometimes symptoms and complications are apparent within a relatively short time following surgery, but they can occur years later. Some complications can be fatal if not addressed. If you have had revision surgery or been told you need hernia mesh revision surgery, you may be entitled to compensation. To find out, investigate filing a hernia mesh lawsuit.

Reasons Hernia Mesh Revision Surgery Might Be Needed

Hernia mesh revision surgery may be required if the original mesh:

• Is recalled by the manufacturer, and so must be replaced
• Fails to correct the hernia and must be replaced or removed so the hernia can be corrected in some other way
• Migrates or causes some other damage in the body, such as infection
• Is rejected by the body

Specific medical complications that may require hernia mesh revision surgery include:

• Abscess
• Adhesions
• Allergic reaction
• The mesh migrates, erodes, or breaks
• Bowel obstruction
• Perforated bowel, which can also lead to
  • peritonitis
  • sepsis
• Infection
• Recurrence, meaning the hernia reoccurs or redevelops

Complications and Risks of Hernia Mesh Revision Surgery

Any surgery comes with risks and complications as well as inconveniences. Beginning with the obvious, surgery is painful. It is also expensive and necessitates time off from work and life’s responsibilities. And there is always risk involved when undergoing anesthesia.

There are added risks with revision surgery; it is more complicated than the original hernia mesh surgery. Why? Well for one thing, while hernia repair surgery is relatively common and straightforward, hernia mesh revision surgery involves, by definition, the mesh implanted during the original surgery. That by itself presents a complication for the surgeon.

The original mesh may need to be removed. If so, there may be scar tissue around the sutures or tacks securing the mesh, which can make removal tricky. In addition, the original mesh may have moved. It may have migrated to another area of the body, such as the bowel. It may have adhered (stuck) to surrounding tissue. The mesh may have partially disintegrated or broken up. The area may be infected.

For these reasons, hernia mesh revision surgery is likely to be more painful than the original surgery and require more time for recuperation. The added pain, plus having to face these complications and another surgery, can also make post-operative depression more likely, which can lower one’s pain threshold and lead to a cycle of increased pain and continuing depression.

All those potential complications make hernia mesh revision surgery riskier and more difficult than the original surgery. For that reason, it is likely that your original surgeon will not perform the surgery and a more specialized surgeon will perform the revision, whether to remove or replace the mesh.

Hernia mesh replacement surgery may be necessary to address failed hernia mesh or complications that have occurred since the original hernia mesh surgery. It may be required to save your life. And it may mean you are entitled to compensation. Contact us to discuss your situation.