Five years after it was recalled, the first lawsuit involving the Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch is set to go to trial. Just over 1,500 Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch lawsuits are currently pending in a multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island.

The first trial in the multidistrict litigation will involve a lawsuit filed by John Whitfield of Missouri. Whitfield was implanted with the Kugel patch in 2004. His suit alleges that some of the rings broke under stress, and traveled through his body. As a result, Whitfield suffered a bowel obstruction, and had to have 22 cm of his intestine removed. (more…)

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its tomato warning nationwide, now that a Salmonella outbreak associated with certain types of raw tomatoes has hit 16 states. Last week, FDA warned consumers in Texas and New Mexico to avoid the tomatoes after they were associated with dozens of cases of a rare strain of Salmonella.

There have been 145 reported cases of Salmonellosis caused by Salmonella St. Paul nationwide, including about 23 hospitalizations. Sixteen states reporting an additional 50 illnesses include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Investigators are researching if raw tomatoes are responsible these illnesses, said Arleen Porcell, a CDC spokeswoman. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 82. The rarity of the St. Paul strain and the number of illnesses “suggest that implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout the country,” she said. Interviews conducted with 73 people found the illnesses began between April 16 and May 27, Porcell said. (more…)

The recalled Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch was supposed to eliminate dangerous complications from hernia surgeries. Before the Davol Composix Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch, repair was conducted by tension repair surgery, which could cause problems if muscle tissue re-tore. Unfortunately, design flaws inherent in the defective Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch led to even more serious complications and injuries for many patients.

Over 700,000 hernia repair surgeries are performed in the U.S. annually. Hernias are areas where an organ breaks through weakened or torn tissue. The Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch—developed to reduce re-tears—is constructed of two mesh pieces surrounding a plastic ring. The surgeon makes a tension-free repair using a small incision and places the folded patch behind the hernia. The spring-like ring opens the Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch where it lays flat behind the incision allowing internal tissue to grow and repair the tear or weakness, resolving the hernia.

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