Jane Akre

The FDA Still Has No Warning About Hernia Mesh

In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Safety Communication to warn the public about polypropylene mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). After originally stating in 2008 that complications from POP mesh were “rare,” the agency reversed itself three years…

Is My Hernia Mesh Recalled?

A common question is “Has my hernia mesh been recalled?”   This presumes that our consumer watchdog agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recalls from the market medical devices that are causing U.S. consumers problems. That is not really the way it happens.…

What’s Added to Hernia and Pelvic Polypropylene Mesh?

Hernia mesh is made of polypropylene (PP), a cheap polymer that comes from the petroleum industry. At least one trial gave us a closer look at how that polymer is treated before it is made into a permanent medical device – surgical mesh – used…

Hernia Mesh – What Should You Ask?

By now, most people have heard that there are thousands of product liability lawsuits filed against the makers of permanent polypropylene (PP) mesh implants for both hernias and pelvic repair. Some of the biggest names in Big Pharma are among them – Johnson & Johnson…

Dec 17, 2018

Why We Remove Mesh

A leading hernia mesh doctor reports that her California office is being inundated with requests for hernia mesh removals. Dr. Shirin Towfigh is the principal investigator among researchers reporting on the conclusion of a 4.5 year study on mesh removals, published in Hernia Magazine December…

Dec 13, 2018

Hernia Patients Have Alternatives to Mesh

The secret of hernia repair is that it carries a high risk of chronic pain after surgery. Upwards of 30% of patients have restricted movement and pain that can last a lifetime. With more than a million hernia surgeries a year performed in the U.S.…