AMS Transvaginal Mesh Injury Also Seen in Canada

Ottawa, ONAny plaintiff filing an AMS transvaginal mesh lawsuit will be interested to know that not only are there a plethora of lawsuits being filed in the US, but in Canada as well. AMS, properly known as American Medical Systems Inc., is but one of a collection of defendants facing litigation akin to lawsuits filed in the US, AMS lawyers report.

To that end, Canada NewsWire (2/26/13) reports that thousands of Canadian women have suffered from the troublesome transvaginal mesh - including, but not limited to AMS transvaginal mesh injury - since the mesh was first licensed for use by Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in 1998.

“[On February 25], a US victim was awarded US$3.35 million for the individual pain and suffering she endured due to a Transvaginal Mesh implant,” said Tony Merchant, QC, a leading Canadian class-action lawyer. The Court Judgment awarded to the plaintiff involved, which Merchant described as very significant, “is a clear demonstration that compensation is due to women throughout Canada and the United States who have been victimized by defective Transvaginal Mesh implants.”

According to the release, complications arising from the mesh implants - AMS mesh among them - include but are not limited to: erosion in the vagina and urethra, pain, infection, perforations, including perforations in the bowel and bladder, pain during sexual intercourse, injuries to adjacent organs and blood vessels.

In some cases, multiple surgical procedures to remove the AMS transvaginal mesh, as well as mesh manufactured by other providers, have been necessary.

In January, yet another TVM lawsuit was added to the MDL for transvaginal mesh entitled In Re: American Medical Systems Inc., Pelvic Repair System Product Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2325). The lawsuit Case No. 2:13-cv-01083 was filed January 18 in the US Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Charleston Division.

Mesh has been used previously for hernia repair, whereas pelvic organ prolapse (POP) was originally repaired with invasive surgery using a patient’s own tissue to create natural slings for the prevention of migration by wayward organs, a condition common in women who have borne children.

The use of transvaginal mesh, including AMS TVM, proved for a time to be a popular alternative to more traditional surgical techniques. With less invasive surgery, healing is faster and patients have to spend fewer days in the hospital, putting less drain on health care facilities and freeing up beds.

However, the allegation that AMS mesh and that of other manufacturers has the capacity to migrate and cause horrific pain and suffering for women, has since given the FDA pause to consider TVM mesh as no longer a preferred treatment for POP. Manufacturers were also mandated to undertake post-market studies on the safety and efficacy of their products.

Among the lawsuits over AMS transvaginal mesh injury and injuries allegedly fostered from other mesh manufacturers in Canada are actions filed against American Medical Systems Inc., and AMS Canada Inc.