The decision to consolidate these hernia patch lawsuits was made because of the high number of lawsuits which have been filed so far. Davol Inc., the manufacturer of the Kugel hernia patch, is based in Rhode Island.

Davol issued the first hernia patch recall for the Kugel mesh patch in December 2005 after discovering design flaws in the largest models of the patch. Davol discovered that the “memory-recoil ring” that surrounds the Kugel patch is susceptible to break after it is implanted.

Broken hernia patches can lead to a number of serious conditions, including bowel obstruction, bowel perforation, chronic enteric fistulas (abnormal connections between parts of the intestines) or infection. Several patients have died as a result of the hernia patch side effects they experienced following a broken patch.

Davol has since issued two subsequent hernia patch recalls for some smaller versions of the Kugel mesh patch. But despite these steps, the Food and Drug Administration has criticized the company for failing to properly track and report patient complaints of hernia patch side effects they have experienced.