Covidien Mesh Lawsuit

Covidien hernia mesh is a medical device used to repair hernias. Hernias occur when an organ, intestine, or fatty tissue pushes through a hole or weakened spot in the nearby muscle or connective tissue, frequently at the abdominal wall. Mesh is used during hernia repair surgery to support the weakened tissue. 

Most surgical mesh devices are made of synthetic materials or tissue from animals. Synthetic mesh can be absorbable, non-absorbable or a combination of both. The materials used in synthetic mesh can be knitted or non-knitted sheets. Mesh from animals is typically made from animal intestines or skin that has been processed and disinfected before implantation. Most animal meshes come from pigs or cows.

Surgery is the only treatment capable of fixing a hernia properly by repairing the weakened abdominal wall tissue and closing holes. Because hernias are likely to recur, surgeons use surgical mesh to make the repair stronger and reduce the likelihood that it will reappear. Most hernia repair surgeries performed in the U.S. use surgical mesh.

However, there are risks in hernia repair surgery, whether or not mesh is used. These complications might include:

• Bleeding
• Fistula formation
• Fluid build-up
• Infection
• Intestinal blockage
• Mesh migration or shrinkage
• Organ or tissue perforation
• Pain
• Recurrence
• Scar tissue and adhesions

Types of Covidien hernia mesh products

Now owned by Medtronic, Covidien manufactures, markets and distributes numerous hernia mesh products, including:

• Dextile Anatomical Mesh: Used to reinforce soft tissues during laparoscopic surgery to repair inguinal hernias.
• Parietex Optimized Composite Mesh: Intended to reinforce weakened soft tissues in the abdominal wall.
• Parietex Plug and Patch System: Reinforces soft tissues during groin hernia repair.
• ProGrip Laparoscopic Self-Fixating Mesh: Used to reinforce soft tissues during laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia defects.
• Symbotex Composite Mesh: Used to reinforce weakened soft tissues in the abdominal wall.

Covidien’s Parietex Composite Mesh was designed to reinforce soft tissues in the abdominal wall during hernia repair. On October 5, 2018, Medtronic issued a voluntary recall of Parietex Composite Mesh, citing reports of mesh failure recognized several years after hernia repair. According to the reports, there were 10 reports of mesh failure from 2013 to 2018. The device failure led to the recurrence of the hernia, which required additional surgery. 

In 2011, Covidien recalled its AutoSuture Surgipro Polypropylene Mesh Clear 3” x 5” Sterile. The recalled device had a flaw in the sterile barrier, jeopardizing the product’s sterility. 

Covidien hernia mesh defects have led to numerous health issues for patients.

Covidien’s hernia mesh products are made of polypropylene, monofilament polyester, or a combination of materials (composite). Polypropylene meshes are durable and present a low risk for infection, but have limited flexibility and a high adhesion risk. Mesh infection is difficult to eliminate without removing the mesh and can occur years after the implant. 

All meshes cause adhesions when implanted next to the bowel, and it is challenging to create a mesh that will stick to the abdominal wall but not adhere to the bowel. Composite meshes generally have a lower rate of adhesion formation. 

Patients who had Covidien hernia mesh implanted during hernia repair and experienced dangerous complications are filing lawsuits. These lawsuits claim the following severe complications related to the defective mesh:

• Abscess
• Abdominal abscess formation
• Abdominal tenderness
• Adhesion to internal organs
• Chronic and excessive inflammation
• Chronic pain
• Deformation of the mesh, which can inhibit function or cause issues with nearby bodily structures
• Distended (excessively swollen) abdomen
• Erosion
• External fistulas
• Foreign body response
• Fluid in the abdomen
• Granulomatous response (a chronic inflammation accompanied by a tight gathering of immune cells around an infection)
• Improper wound healing
• Infection
• Internal fistulas
• Mesh migration
• Nerve damage
• Organ perforation
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Perforation of intestinal walls
• Peritonitis
• Persistent surgical site drainage
• Post-surgical infections
• Recurrence of hernia
• Rejection of mesh
• Scarification (creation of scars)
• Sepsis
• Seroma formation
• Severe persistent abdominal pain
• Tissue damage and death

Long-term health risks of Covidien hernia mesh complications

Hernia mesh may also cause several long-term health risks, including:

• Chronic pain
• Internal organ damage
• Reduced quality of life
• Risk of additional surgeries

Lawsuits allege that Covidien underreported the risk of mesh failure and instead made false claims regarding its safety. 

Because of these misrepresentations, patients who received Covidien hernia mesh implants suffered severe physical and mental pain and injury. These harms include permanent injuries that will likely require ongoing medical treatment.

There are thousands of consolidated cases pending in state court in Massachusetts, where Covidien has key operations for its surgical and medical device business units. The Covidien hernia mesh Federal MDL was established in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on June 7, 2022.

As of June 2025, discussions are ongoing regarding choosing a mediator to facilitate settlement discussions. New Covidien hernia mesh lawsuits for serious injuries continue to be filed. Bellwether trials (test cases) in the Federal MDL are scheduled to begin in Fall 2026, with the first pretrial conference set for February 2026. 

As of June 2025, there were 1,998 cases pending in the Covidien MDL. There are also three other ongoing hernia mesh MDLs against Atrium Medical, C.R. Bard, Inc. and Ethicon. As of June 2025, over 24,000 claims are pending in those MDLs combined. 

Covidien hernia mesh settlements

In an MDL, a settlement is an agreement between plaintiffs and defendants that resolves the cases before trial. This means that instead of individual trials, an agreement is negotiated to resolve the claims of all the MDL plaintiffs.

In 2024, the owner of Bard, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) settled approximately 38,000 hernia mesh lawsuits centralized in Rhode Island state court and consolidated into an MDL in Ohio federal court. Although the terms are confidential, BD has an estimated $1.7 billion set aside in a product liability fund to be paid to hernia mesh plaintiffs. The lawsuits were pending nearly two decades before a settlement was reached. Don Migliori of Motley Rice was a lead attorney for the Rhode Island plaintiffs.

Covidien hernia mesh verdicts

Hernia mesh verdicts are formal decisions reached by a judge or jury trial. There have been several verdicts in hernia mesh cases, including $500,000 awarded in 2023 to a Maine man after a jury found Bard and Davol Inc. liable for failing to warn about the risks associated with their faulty product.

In 2022, Motley Rice won a $4.8 million verdict for a Hawaii man who sustained severe complications after being implanted with Becton Dickinson’s Ventralex hernia repair mesh. 

The pain and difficulty of dealing with defective medical devices not only impact you, but your family as well. Our law firm has the resources and experience in complex medical litigation to help seek justice for you and your loved ones throughout a lawsuit.

If you’re unsure whether a potentially defective product was used during your procedure, a medical device lawyer at Motley Rice may be able to help. Our law firm’s previous medical litigation experience includes representing clients harmed by:

• Artificial tears
• Breast implants
• CooperSurgical IVF treatments
• Duodenoscopes/Endoscopes
• Surgical staplers

Read more about our medical device litigation experience.