Medical devices to help patients deal with incontinence have changed the lives of many for the better. At this level of surgery, however, complications can occur, and urethral sling surgeries for women often have severe side effects.

Bladder slings, or transvaginal mesh implants, are used to treat stress urinary incontinence in primarily post-menopausal women. According to WebMD.com, the implant of these slings requires deep incisions, meaning that it is an inpatient procedure. Usually patients are able to return home two to three days after the procedure, though the recovery period is usually two to four weeks after that. WebMD notes that while complications are common, the implementation of a bladder sling usually cures stress urinary incontinence in eight out of 10 women.

DrugWatch.com reports that there are commonly used types of bladder slings. The first is called a tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) sling, in which the patient’s tissue is used to hold the sling in place instead of stitches. The second is a transobturator tape sling (TOW or TVT-O), which is a tension-free surgery that “has less risk of bladder and bowel injury in comparison with the TVT sling.” The third is a mini-sling, which has the least risk of complications after surgery. This is also the newest form of bladder sling, having debuted in 2006.

When bladder slings first hit the medical market, the side effects were not as well known or publicized as they are today. MD-Health.com advises that side effects can include difficulty urinating, internal bleeding, and severe pain. Inflammation of the organs around the bladder is common, making sex difficult. Faulty mesh implants can result in the obstruction of the urethra, damage to the bowels, and injury to surrounding blood vessels and nerves. In September of 2013, according to Bloomberg News, the first wave of lawsuits against five makers of vaginal mesh implants went to court. “The total number of suits could swell to more than 50,000 as more claimants seek to join the potential settlement,” reported Bloomberg News.

If you or someone you know has suffered severe side effects because of a bladder sling operation in Connecticut, the most important step is to speak to an attorney. Contact Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law, for a free initial consultation today.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System have been added to the growing list of prominent hospitals who have suspended the use of a surgical device used in hysterectomies because it can cause the spread of cancer.

Forty percent of hysterectomies are done because of the presence of painful fibroid tumors. The device that these hospitals have banned is a power morcellator, which is used to help remove fibroid tumors during hysterectomies.

The use of a morcellator involves making a small incision near the belly button to remove the uterus. Recovery time is three to five days, compared to four to six weeks when the uterus is removed via conventional surgery.

Surgeons use the morcellator to slice up the fibroids or the entire uterus, thus allowing the tissue to be removed through the tiny incision that was made.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the dangers associated with morcellation because the procedure can spread any cancer cells that may be present in the fibroids or the uterus, leaving them behind in the abdomen and pelvic area.

According to the FDA, one in every 350 women who undergo the procedure has uterine cancer which goes undetectable in any pre-operative testing. The spreading of these cancer cells by this procedure significantly decreases rates of long-term survival.

A solution to the issue is to put a bag around the device while the procedure is being performed in order to catch any of that tissue. However, adding the bag would require additional training for surgeons and this could drive up the cost of the procedure.

Studies revealing the dangers of the procedure spreading cancer cells have been around for several years. In 2011, researchers from South Korea presented at a medical conference in Florida their findings of a study they did comparing morcellating tumors or removing them whole. In the group of patients whose tumors were removed whole, 19 percent died within five years. In the group of patients whose tumors were morcellated, 44 percent died within three years. There have been similar results in studies done by studies done in Boston and in Germany.

If you have been left struggling with serious health problems after having a hysterectomy done, contact an experienced Connecticut medical malpractice attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.

Merck & Co. recently announced an agreement to pay $100 million in order to settle all pending lawsuits regarding the company’s NuvaRing contraceptive.

The agreement covers all cases that have been filed in state and federal courts, as well as any claims that have not been filed yet. The company says 95 percent of the 3,800 eligible people need to take part in the agreement in order for it to be put in place.

NuvaRing, available by prescription only, is a plastic vaginal ring that releases low doses of two female hormones, estrogen and progestin. While the ring is in place, these hormones are released in order to block ovulation.

The ring was designed by the company Organon and Schering. It became available in the U.S. in 2002. But in 2007, users of the product began filing lawsuits against the company, alleging that the product could cause blood clots. These clots can lead to heart attacks, strokes and sudden death. Lawsuits also accused the manufacturer of failing to warn the public about these potential health risks.

Merck purchased Schering-Plough in 2009 and inherited the liability blamed on the NuvaRing, along with all the lawsuits. Merck denies all liability to any injuries suffered by victims in its settlement agreement.

If the settlement is approved, it would be much less than what other manufacturers have had to pay out for similar product defects. Last year, Bayer paid almost $1.6 billion in settlements to the thousands of claimants in lawsuits accusing the company’s Yaz and Yazmin birth control pills of causing blood clots that also led to strokes and heart attacks.

If your doctor has prescribed a medication which caused injuries or left you disabled, contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what civil action you may be able to file for compensation in regards to the pain and loss you may have suffered.