Parietene Hernia Mesh Lawsuit Alleges Defective Covidien Implant Caused Severe Nerve Damage, Chronic Pain

Additional surgeries were required to address damage after the hernia mesh began adhering to man’s organs.

A Tennessee man claims a hernia repair procedure left him with permanent injuries after the Covidien Parietene Macroporous Mesh used during the operation allegedly failed.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Vincent Van Tassel in Massachusetts Superior Court on October 15, naming Covidien LP and Sofradim Corp. as defendants.

Van Tassel claims the mesh uses a defective design that caused it to fail after being implanted to repair a left inguinal hernia. As a result, he argues Covidien created a device which was not fit for implantation into the human body.

Hernia Mesh Risks

Covidien faces approximately 2,500 similar hernia mesh lawsuits filed nationwide, involving products such as ProGrip, Symbotex and Parietex. The lawsuits allege that design defects increase the risk of recurring hernias, adhesions and other painful complications, often requiring additional surgery to remove or replace the implants.

Many Covidien hernia mesh products feature absorbable collagen barriers designed to prevent the mesh from adhering to the intestines and surrounding organs. However, plaintiffs allege these protective barriers can deteriorate too quickly, exposing the underlying polypropylene mesh to internal tissues and allowing painful adhesions to form. The lawsuits also claim that polypropylene itself can trigger harmful inflammatory reactions in the body.

Plaintiffs maintain that Covidien knew or should have known about these risks but continued marketing the products without adequately warning patients or medical professionals. The lawsuits allege the manufacturer failed to address known design problems, placing financial interests ahead of patient safety despite mounting reports of serious complications.

Parietene Hernia Mesh Injury Allegations

According to the complaint, Van Tassel was implanted with the Parietene Macroporous mesh during hernia repair surgery. However, the implant allegedly failed instead of fixing the hernia, causing permanent damage.

Van Tassel states that the manufacturers knew about the problems and the potential failures of the collagen layer but refused to address the issue to save money and maintain profit margins. Instead, he alleges Covidien continues to use materials it knows are not suited for the job.

“The polypropylene mesh used in the manufacture of the Parietene line of products, which was implanted into Plaintiff, is not suited for implantation into the human body due to its pore size and weave, high volume of material utilized, selection of polypropylene resin, and other design features. These designs aspects lead to adverse tissue reactions in the body, which directly lead to complications.”

– Vincent Van Tassel v. Covidien LP et al.

The filing indicates Van Tassel suffered nerve damage, chronic pain, ilioinguinal nerve involvement and CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), all of which led to the need for multiple additional surgeries and removal of the failed mesh.

Van Tassel presents claims of breach of warranty, defective design, failure to warn and negligence. He seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Hernia Mesh Lawsuits

The lawsuit comes amid a series of early test cases of Covidien hernia mesh lawsuits taking place in the District of Massachusetts, where the litigation has been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings. These trials are designed to put representative cases before juries to see how they are likely to react to evidence and testimony that would be presented in most hernia mesh claims.

The first bellwether trial ended in early August with an $88 million verdict granted to Larry Patterson and his wife, Tammy, after a Symbotex mesh became adhered to his bowels causing obstruction and recurring hernias.

The second bellwether trial is scheduled for January 11, 2027, and a third for March 2027. While the outcomes are not binding on other claims, if juries continue to issue massive plaintiff verdicts, it could force Covidien to the bargaining table to seek a Covidien hernia mesh settlement agreement.

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