Ethicon Hernia Mesh Failure

Some who were promised a solution in Johnson and Johnson’s Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite hernia mesh, instead found themselves facing potential infections, hernia recurrence and more surgeries. Ethicon Hernia Mesh was first approved for use in hernia repair procedures in April 2010, but without FDA review or clinical trials to evaluate its safety before being placed on the market.

Ethicon Physiomesh is a coated hernia mesh. This particular product has a thick coating on both sides of the mesh. The coating is intended to prevent the bowel from being exposed to polypropylene. Polypropylene will essentially stick to any tissue in the human body. If the polypropylene sticks to the bowel it can cause severe injuries. But, if no polypropylene is exposed, then the hernia mesh will not properly incorporate into the abdominal wall. Its inability to properly incorporate results in the Physiomesh floating and moving around in the patient’s abdominal cavity.

Complications from Ethicon Hernia Mesh include:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Adhesions
  • Obstructions
  • Mesh migration
  • Bacterial infections
  • Hernia recurrence
  • Additional surgeries to treat hernia recurrence

Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled the Ethicon Physiomesh from the global market in 2016 after two independent analyses determined that Ethicon’s hernia recurrence and reoperation rates were higher than average.