<"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/Alloderm-Hernia-Recurrence-Recurring-Lawyer-Lawsuit-Attorney">AlloDerm, a surgical mesh made from human cadaver skin, has been linked to complications when used in hernia repair surgery. Reports of hernia recurrence and other AlloDerm failures have made it apparent that this product did not undergo adequate testing as a hernia repair option.
AlloDerm is a patented tissue matrix that was originally developed in 1994 by LifeCell as a graft for burn patients. The donated skin goes through a process to remove all of the cells in the top layer and the entire dermis, leaving the collagen and elastin framework of the skin.
AlloDerm is intended to promote tissue growth in the areas where it is surgically inserted so that a patient’s cells will effectively repopulate the treated area. Its applications have since come to include facial reconstruction, hernia repair and breast reconstruction.
Serious AlloDerm complications that can occur after hernia repair include injuries to nearby organs, nerves and blood vessels as well as adverse reactions to the mesh and adhesions (where the loops of a patient’s intestines adhere to the mesh or each other). These AlloDerm complications may require patients to undergo a potentially painful procedure called mesh explant, or the removal of the graft.
With AlloDerm, explantation is most commonly needed due to infected fluid collections. According to one study, approximately 8 percent of AlloDerm patients require explant surgery, compared to 1.6 percent in control groups.
Unfortunately, it appears that few long term studies have followed people who received AlloDerm for hernia repair. It is becoming apparent that AlloDerm needs design improvement in order to prevent hernia recurrence.
