April 11, 2017 — A man from Texas who was injured by two types of defective hernia plugs has filed a lawsuit against Ethicon and C.R. Bard.
The lawsuit (PDF) was filed by a 32 year-old man from Harris County, Texas who developed a groin hernia on the job in February 2015.
The injury occurred as he was lifting the top off an electrical box. The pain was tolerable at first, but progressively worsened over the next few days until it became unbearable and he could no longer work.
In March 2015, he visited a doctor and was told to go to the hospital immediately. He was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia that would need emergency surgery. Doctors implanted a C.R. Bard Perfix Light Mesh Plug. He experienced excruciating pain.
In April 2015, he had an CAT scan because doctors were concerned the mesh was in his groin. The doctors did not know that the polypropylene material was incompatible with CAT scans. Afterward, a rash spread to his stomach, chest, neck, and eventually his face.
In May 2015, he had a sneezing fit and his hernia ruptured again. Doctors discovered that the mesh was folded in on itself and no longer connected to his muscles. He would need another hernia surgery.
In August 2015, he had another surgery. Doctors removed a defective hernia plug. According to the lawsuit:
“During the operation, Dr. Shin found that the original mesh had been tangled with the nerves and 2% of the mesh concreted onto Matthew’s spermatic cord, which he was unable to remove. … The operation took 25% longer than anticipated due to the complications that arose from the entanglement.”
The rash disappeared when the Bard Perfix was removed, suggesting he had an allergic reaction. However, when it was replaced with an Ethicon Proceed hernia plug, he developed a new set of side effects.
The side effects included swollen testicles, pain, balance issues and rashes. These complications suggest that both of his hernia mesh plugs were defective, and both caused him to suffer allergic reactions. Lawyers accuse Ethicon Inc. (Johnson & Johnson) and C.R. Bard of negligence for selling a defective medical device and failing to warn about side effects.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston) — In RE: Matthew Ochoa v. C.R. Bard, et al. — Case No: 4:17-cv-00756.
Do I have a Hernia Plug Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hernia plug induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
