BWG Consumer Alert: August 2011

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an urgent public notice on transvaginal mesh surgery after receiving thousands of reports about painful complications.

The notice was issued in July 2011. It advised patients and medical providers to consider alternatives to mesh surgery to avoid the complications.

Transvaginal mesh is a medical device implanted surgically to treat Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). It is performed in Boston, Massachusetts hospitals and many others across the country.

Complications related to the surgery are highly debilitating. Remedies include corrective surgeries and hospitalization.

If you have been injured by this transvaginal mesh surgery, contact our Boston product liability lawyers to discuss your options for seeking compensation. We specialize in handling cases involving defective medical devices.

For a free legal consultation, call our attorneys at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. You can also learn more by visiting our Transvaginal Mesh Surgery web page.

There is more bad news for car owners. Ford and Honda recalled more than 3 million vehicles combined in August 2011.

Honda Motor Co. issued a recall for more than 2.49 million cars with defective transmission software. The recall includes 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S. Honda said no injuries have been reported.

Honda will be providing customers free software updates.

Ford announced the product recall of more than 1.22 million trucks with a corrosion problem that may result in fire. The recalled trucks include the popular F-150. Ford said it has received eight reports of tanks falling, including three injuries.

The Ford recall affects trucks sold between 1997 and 2004 in 21 states, including Massachusetts. Recalled Ford trucks were also sold in Canada and Washington D.C.

Ford will repair the trucks at no cost to owners. Click here to learn more about the recalls.

Starting in September 2011, student-athletes and others involved in school sports will be required to complete concussion training in Massachusetts.

In 2010, the state Legislature passed a law requiring training and education for anyone involved in public middle school and high school sports. The Department of Public Health issued guidelines in June 2011. The guidelines state players, parents, coaches and school nurses must participate in training on how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion. Even volunteers must sit in on training.

If a student is injured, they will be immediately removed from the game or practice. They cannot return until they are cleared by a doctor. If a student is diagnosed with a concussion, they will need a written plan to return. Once a student suffers a concussion, they must file an injury report before the start of each sports season.

As NFL players come forward with claims about concussions, many states are starting to focus on concussion prevention in schools. Each year, 136,000 student-athletes suffer concussions. When not treated properly, students can suffer long-term brain injury.

Click here to learn more about concussion prevention on our blog.