Surgical mesh or a vaginal sling, also known as transvaginal mesh, is permanently implanted transvaginally to reinforce and repair the vaginal area. However, these products have been shown to erode and rupture organs. One of the most common products is the Avaulta Anterior and Posterior Biosynthetic Support System made by C. R. Bard Inc.. There are roughly 9,000 Bard transvaginal mesh lawsuits pending.
In the 1990s, Boston Scientific introduced the first vaginally implanted mesh to treat prolapse, ProteGen. A few years later, the company recalled about 20,000 because they caused discomfort, painful sex, and an erosion of vaginal and surrounding tissue.
In 2012, the FDA ordered 33 makers of transvaginal mesh products to test patient outcomes and report all complications resulting from their products.
Most reports have come from:
- Gynecare, Gynemesh, or Ethicon (made by Johnson & Johnson);
- Avaulta, Pelvicol, and Pelvisoft (made by C.R. Bard);
- Advantage Sling, Obtryx, Perfyx, Pinnacle and others (made by Boston Scientific Products);
- Spar, Miniarc, Monarc, Apogee, Perigee, Elevate (made by American Medical Systems) meshes; and,
- MPathy, Mentor-Aris, Supris, Suspend, T-Sling, Novasilk, Exair, Restorelle, and Virtue (made by Coloplast A/S).
