The Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch is a hernia mesh implant that is manufactured by Covidien, a subsidiary of Medtronic. Despite the fact that it has been linked to patients suffering chronic pain and medical complications, the Surgipro Plug and Patch device has not been recalled. Instead, it has been the source of hundreds of hernia mesh lawsuits.
- 1. Covidien’s Surgipro Plug and Patch
- 2. Identifying the Surgipro Plug and Patch
- 3. Why the Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch is defective
- 4. No recall for the Surgipro Plug and Patch
1. Covidien’s Surgipro Plug and Patch
The Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch is an implant used during hernia surgeries. There are two parts to the device:
- An irregularly-shaped patch of polypropylene mesh with a “keyhole-shaped” tear that runs from one end of the patch to a circular section cut from the middle, and
- A conical plug of polypropylene mesh.
Surgeons using the Surgipro Plug and Patch implant first make an incision and correct the patient’s hernia. The surgeon then inserts the plug into the hole left in the abdominal muscle by the emerging hernia. The patch is then laid over the area.
Both the plug and the patch are made of polypropylene mesh. They are designed to create scar tissue on the muscles they contact. This scar tissue grows into the device’s mesh, strengthening the muscle with extra tissue and drawing the mesh into the muscle for even more support.
2. Identifying the Surgipro Plug and Patch
Patients who think they have been implanted with Covidien’s Surgipro Plug and Patch during a hernia procedure can try to identify the device by its traits or by using its product numbers.
Unfortunately, there are several other hernia mesh devices that look similar to the Surgipro Plug and Patch, especially after it has been implanted for an extended period of time. Using the following product numbers is a more reliable way to identify a Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch implant1:
| Description | Plug Size | Patch Size | Product Number |
| Medium | 2.8 centimeters | 3.5 x 2.5 centimeters | SMPM02 |
| Large | 3.8 centimeters | 3.8 x 4.2 centimeters | SMPL01 |
3. Why the Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch is defective
Patients have been getting hurt by the Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch because the device heavily relies on polypropylene mesh.
Polypropylene is an inexpensive type of plastic that is known to deteriorate and erode when it comes in contact with oxygen. When hernia mesh products containing polypropylene, like the Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch, are implanted, they are surrounded by oxygen-rich blood, muscles, and tissues. This triggers the erosion process, which takes a long time – often several years to become noticeable to patients who have been implanted with a polypropylene device.
As polypropylene erodes, it shrinks. Because the polypropylene mesh in hernia implants is designed to create ingrowths of scar tissue, this shrinkage contracts the tissues and muscles that are now joined to the mesh. Chronic pain and discomfort usually accompany this internal tugging, especially if nerves have grown into the mesh.
4. No recall for the Surgipro Plug and Patch
Despite the complications it has caused and the patients it has hurt, the Covidien Surgipro Plug and Patch has not been recalled. Instead, victims have had to join the Surgipro hernia mesh MDL, or multidistrict litigation, to recover the compensation they need to recover.