Fulton woman among plaintiffs suing over pelvic prolapse device
Fulton County resident Anne McVay is among several plaintiffs suing the maker of a medical device used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, alleging the product caused them serious injury.
The personal injury and product liability lawsuit against New Jersey-based C.R. Bard Inc. was filed this month in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. It contends, among other things, that the company made a defective device — the Avaulta Plus Anterior BioSynthetic Support System — and seeks unspecified damages.
“I never want another woman to go through what I went through,” said McVay, 44, a former registered nurse.
An avid runner, McVay said she always wore black whenever she exercised.
“When I returned from my run, I would be soaked,” said the mother of five. But it wasn’t sweat. Nearly two years ago, she was diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, the latter of which is common among older women and women who have had several children. In her case, the vaginal wall collapsed, causing pain and contributing to her incontinence.
Urine would leak whenever she ran, laughed, coughed or sneezed — or for no reason at all.
“It was embarrassing,” said McVay, who declines to identify her current employer or occupation. McVay had surgery in July 2007 to correct the problem. Her doctor implanted the Avaulta device.
Within weeks, says McVay, she began to experience pain, bleeding and a discharge. Eventually, she underwent two more surgical procedures, the last to remove as much of the mesh device as possible. Now, McVay claims, it left her with severe scarring.
As a result of having the Bard products implanted in them, McVay and other female plaintiffs allege they have experienced “significant mental and physical pain and suffering and have sustained permanent injury and substantial physical deformity,” according to the lawsuit.
The suit was filed here because a Bard medical division is located in Covington, said Gary B. Blasingame, McVay’s attorney.
Scott Lowry, Bard vice president, said the company’s policy is not to comment on pending litigation. On its Web site, Bard is described as a multinational developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical technologies in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products.
The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial.
