Our IVC Filter Attorneys Help Patients Injured by Defective Medical Devices Seek Maximum Financial Compensation
It’s not too late for patients injured by IVC filters to file individual lawsuits against medical device manufacturers like Cook Medical and C. R. Bard. The seasoned defective device lawyers at Anapol Weiss have experience representing patients who have suffered from vein perforation, device migration, device removal problems, and other serious complications.
For help holding a defective medical device manufacturer accountable for IVC filter complications at no upfront cost, contact us today.
What Is an IVC Filter?
“IVC” stands for “inferior vena cava,” the scientific name of the largest blood vessel in the body. This vein transfers blood from the lower body back up to the right atrium of the heart, from which the blood eventually passes through the pulmonary artery and into the lungs. The IVC works in conjunction with the superior vena cava, the vessel that moves blood from the upper body to the heart.
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215-608-9645Because this important vein leads to the heart and lungs, blood clots that form in the lower body and travel through the IVC can pose risks of serious conditions, such as a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE). In patients at risk for pulmonary embolism, especially those who can’t safely take blood-thinning medications, medical devices called IVC filters are one option medical practitioners have used to attempt to prevent PE.
When implanted in a patient’s inferior vena cava, an IVC filter’s purpose is to trap blood clots, preventing them from reaching the pulmonary artery and causing a deadly pulmonary embolism. These small wire devices (many of which are less than 28 mm) are shaped like cones, with struts that form a cage or basket in which to catch blood clots.
IVC filters may be retrievable, or meant to be removed once the elevated risk of the blood clot has decreased, or they may be permanent. However, complications may arise when IVC filters are used long-term.
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IVC Filter Lawsuit: Why Are People Suing?
Thousands of patients have sued IVC filter manufacturers over complications. These lawsuits have alleged that design faults and other defects in various models of IVC filters caused patients harm and that manufacturers have failed to warn the public about the risks, among other allegations.
IVC Filter Complications
Examples of the complications that have given rise to the ongoing IVC filter lawsuits include the following.
Device Migration
Once inserted, an IVC filter is intended to remain in place until retrieved during a removal procedure. In some patients, however, the device has moved from the implantation site to other areas of the body, where it can block veins or cause damage to the heart or lungs.
Device Fragmentation
A filter fracture may increase the likelihood of parts of the device migrating and causing problems in other areas of the body. In some cases, struts or other pieces of the device have broken off, traveled through the bloodstream, and gotten stuck in blood vessels or organs, damaging them in the process.
Vein and Organ Perforation
If the whole device or the fragments that have broken off puncture the blood vessels or organs in the body, it can cause significant damage to these veins and organs.
Difficulties Removing Retrievable IVC Filters
Researchers have advised against the long-term use of retrievable filters due to the risk of complications (as published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders), but some patients have encountered complications having these devices removed.
Some patients have had to undergo multiple removal procedures because the device or its broken pieces have become embedded in the body. In some instances, even multiple procedures using various techniques have failed to fully remove the device, and some pieces of the filter have been left permanently in the patient’s body.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
IVC filters are supposed to prevent the development of pulmonary embolisms by keeping blood clots from traveling to the lungs, but they don’t stop these clots from forming in the first place. In fact, researchers have concluded that the use of IVC filters is associated with a higher risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or formation of blood clots in the legs or elsewhere in the deep veins of the body.
The longer the IVC filter remains in place, the higher the incidence of DVT compared to patients without filters, researchers wrote in an article published in the journal Seminars in Interventional Radiology.
Infection
Some IVC filter lawsuits have blamed manufacturers for harm resulting from serious infections. Although infection is a common risk of surgical procedures, you may have grounds to sue a medical device manufacturer if their negligence contributed to the infection, such as if complications retrieving the IVC filter caused it to remain in the body longer than it should have.
Allergic Reaction
Implanting a medical device that contains a material to which the patient is allergic can cause considerable harm. For example, patients with known nickel allergies have sued IVC filter manufacturers who failed to include warnings that the device contained nickel on the product label.
Chronic Pain
Pain associated with an IVC filter may indicate problems such as perforation, device migration or fragmentation, infection, or other complications.
Any of the complications listed above, as well as other serious injuries, may provide grounds to seek financial compensation from a medical device manufacturer through an IVC filter lawsuit.
Contact an Experienced IVC Filter Lawyer at Anapol Weiss Today for a Free Consultation
When a medical device that was supposed to protect your health by preventing PE instead leaves you with serious injuries, you have legal recourse against the manufacturer. Across the country, patients have filed lawsuits naming IVC filter companies Cook Medical, C. R. Bard, Cordis, Boston Scientific, ALN, Rex Medica, and Argon Medical Devices as defendants. Some individual IVC filter lawsuit settlement and award values have been in the million-dollar or multi-million-dollar range.
If you have developed complications from this medical device, let the seasoned IVC filter attorneys at Anapol Weiss help you hold the manufacturer accountable, starting with a free case evaluation. Call 215-608-9645 today.