Jacksonville OBTape Vaginal Sling Attorneys
Mentor Corp., discontinues OBTape Vaginal Sling
If you or someone you love has suffered through complications due to the surgical implantation of the OBTape Vaginal Sling manufactured by The Mentor Corporation, we urge you to contact the Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyers at Farah & Farah today. Far too often, the medical corporations that we entrust with our care manufacture and distribute unsafe solutions to a captive clientele who are seeking relief from their pain and suffering. At Farah and Farah, we believe you have suffered enough, and we relish the opportunity to stand for your legal rights against the heavy-hitters in the medical industry.
- Georgia Women File Suit Against Maker of Defective Medical Product
- What is the “OBTape” Vaginal Sling?
- What is Stress Urinary Incontinence?
- Farah & Farah – A History of Medical Malpractice Success
Georgia Women File Suit Against Maker of Defective Medical Product
Just recently, two Georgia women claimed a surgically implanted device, meant to resolve bladder and urinary incontinence problems, actually caused more damage. The Georgia women have filed a lawsuit with The Clarke County Superior Court claiming that the device wrecked their bodies, affected intimate relations with their husbands, and left them bedridden. The transobturator sling made by Mentor Corp., called OBTape, has since been removed from the market, but an estimated 20 percent of the women who had it implanted, suffered through serious complications.
The personal injury lawyers at Farah & Farah have a proven track record of success in representing individuals against the deep pockets of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Our qualified staff and experienced attorneys will diligently represent your legal interests which will enable you and your family to concern yourselves with attending to your health. CALL TODAY to see how we can help you.
What is the “OBTape” Vaginal Sling?
The transobturator vaginal sling made by Mentor Corp., called “OBTape”, was a medical device manufactured to surgically treat female stress urinary incontinence. The device is an artificial structure that is designed to replace eroded or weakened muscles in the urethra. When implanted, women were supposed to experience relief from their condition, what many received instead was an alarming, violent reaction to the device that lead to a plethora of medical issues.
The Mentor OBTape sling had a troubling incidence of impaired healing, vaginal extrusion and urinary tract erosion that manifested itself in extreme vaginal pain, vaginal discharge, and infections. Seventeen to 18 percent of the women who received Mentor Corp’s OBTape sling developed complications. The problem with the device was that it was not woven like safer competing slings. Woven slings allow nutrients and oxygen to get to body tissue, but the non-woven design of the OBTape blocked vital oxygen and nutrients. Additionally, the device pushed into and through the vaginal wall causing tearing and cutting, and finally, severe erosion of the vaginal tissues.
The OBTape vaginal sling was removed from the market 3 years after it was introduced in 2003, but not before it was implanted in an estimated 35,000 women who were suffering through bladder control problems brought on by aging, child birth, and a variety of other causes. The lives of those who had adverse reactions to the OBTape sling were literally ruined as many experienced crippling pain and permanent scarring damage from the procedures involved in the insertion and necessary removal of the device. Many women experienced debilitating pain as their bodies rejected the device, eventually they were forced to undergo multiple surgeries to address the complications of their condition and sustained permanent injury. Ultimately, the device failed to cure their female urinary stress incontinence and caused additional medical complications.
If you or someone you love are among the tens of thousands of women who had the OBTape sling surgically implanted, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Farah and Farah for a free evaluation today!
What is Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)?
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is a condition which affects approximately 13 million people in the United States, predominantly women. This highly prevalent medical condition remains underdiagnosed and underreported due to its embarrassing nature and social stigma. Female stress urinary incontinence occurs when the pelvic muscles which support the bladder and urethra are weakened; resulting in loss of bladder control. Typically, patients complain of involuntary urine loss during coughing, laughing, and sneezing and their incontinence becomes worse during high impact sports activities.
It is estimated that 50-70% of women with urinary incontinence fail to seek medical evaluation and treatment. Of individuals with urinary incontinence, only 5% in the general community and 2% in nursing homes receive appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. Patients with urinary incontinence often endure this condition for 6-9 years before seeking medical therapy.
For those women who have the resolve to overcome the embarrassment of seeking treatment for this condition, help is available in the form of a “vaginal sling” which is inserted into the urethra via a medical procedure. Stress urinary incontinence has emerged as such a highly prevalent medical condition that a large and competitive marketplace for commercially viable solutions has emerged. From this demand, the “OBTape” device was born.
Farah & Farah – Medical Malpractice Successes
The medical malpractice attorneys at Farah & Farah have experience in holding medical and pharmaceutical companies accountable for the injuries that their products cause. We scrutinize the details in every case to find out exactly what went wrong where, to determine who is liable. Then we go after that person to the fullest extent of the law, at no risk to you, as there is no charge for our services until your case is won. Our track record of success speaks for itself:
Medical Negligence - $5.9 million Award to Minor
A minor child was admitted to a hospital for treatment for a severe asthma attack. Upon admission, he was alert, speaking, and could see. Due to negligent administration of medications, the boy lapsed into unconsciousness and had to be resuscitated. As a result, the child, who is 13 years old, is now legally blind and suffers from neurological damage.
Medical Malpractice Case – $1.125 million
Infant suffered brain damage as a result of medical malpractice. Parents receive award for his future care. Recovered $1.125 million.
Traumatic Brain Injury Case – Recovery $195,000
A resident of an apartment complex suffered a mild traumatic brain injury when her clothes dryer fell from its stand above the washer and struck her in the head. The defendant denied liability, but we pursued the case to trial. The jury awarded our client adequate compensation. Recovered $195,000.
Contact Farah and Farah today to speak with our medical malpractice attorneys. Our lawyers are not afraid to spend money on a case we believe in. We have the resources to take on the heavy-hitters in the medical industry and we can help the victims of medical negligence and their families receive much needed compensation.
For a free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney, call our main office in Jacksonville today at 1.800.603.3640.