The cases revolve around a product known as a hernia mesh, which surgeons use when repairing holes in the abdominal wall. Of the 10,350 cases Medtronic faces around its hernia mesh products, roughly 7,450 cases are filed in Massachusetts state court. Other major hernia mesh manufacturers have faced product-injury lawsuits, though most have settled out-of-court. Three years after Patterson's hernia repair surgery, he returned to the hospital for nausea and a sharp, burning pain in his abdomen. In legal filings, Medtronic argues the risks of infections and other adverse events fall within the norm for surgical devices like its hernia mesh.