If you have suffered from a serious injury after being treated with an IVC Filter, you may be able to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, among other losses. Our firm is working with experienced IVC Filter lawyers, who are investigating these cases. They may be able to file a lawsuit for you and they charge no fee unless you win an award or settlement. For a free (no obligation) case evaluation, call our toll free number at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form online on our site.

Medical Device to Stop Blood Clots Associated With 27 Fatalities

NBC Nightly News | Published on Sep 2, 2016

NBC News investigates the safety of a medical device that was designed to help save Dodi Froehlich’s life, but instead almost killed her – a device implanted in thousands of people.

What Are IVC Filters?

Inferior Vena Cava Filters (IVC Filters) are small metal devices, which are placed in the Inferior Vena Cava, a large vein that delivers blood to the heart from the lower body. They are used in order to help prevent Pulmonary Embolisms, which can be life threatening. IVC Filters help to break up clots that form in the legs, sometimes called Deep Vein Thrombosis. Permanent IVC Filters have been on the market since the late 1960s, but retrievable IVC filters have only been available for the last 10 years.

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What Injuries May Be Caused By IVC Filters?

  • Organ Perforation
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Severe Pain
  • Heart Attack
  • Internal Bleeding
  • Death

Why Are IVC Filters Allegedly Defective?

IVC Filters allegedly cause injuries because they can become detached from the IVC itself, or pieces of the device can break off. The device then circulates through the body and can puncture the IVC or other major organs, causing damage and internal bleeding. In 2010, the FDA warned that there had been nearly 1,000 reports of injuries related to the device because of migration of the device, embolization, perforation, or fracture of the device.

Why Are There IVC Filter Lawsuits?

Over 700 lawsuits have been filed by people who were injured by IVC filters. Some of those include:

  • November 15, 2013 — A woman from Illinois filed a Bard IVC filter lawsuit due to the filter becoming fixed in her heart and lungs. The doctors were unable to successfully remove the remains from the lung.
  • June 6, 2013 — A man from Illinois filed a lawsuit after his Bard Recovery IVC filter drifted into his heart. This led to an emergency open-heart surgery and he still suffers from disturbing complications.
  • October 15, 2014 — Dozens of lawsuits concerning defective Cook Medical IVC filters have been consolidated in federal litigation in Indiana.
  • February, 2015, C.R. Bard reached a settlement with a man who underwent emergency surgery to remove a Recovery IVC filter.
  • July 6, 2015 — Approximately 100 federal lawsuits have been filed against Cook Medical Inc. by individuals who were injured by IVC filters.
  • August 18, 2015 — Federal judges have consolidated 22 lawsuits involving C.R. Bard IVC filters into a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2641) in Arizona under U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell.

Recent IVC Filter Studies

  • U.S. National Library of Medicine (2010): The Bard Recovery and Bard G2 filters have a high prevalence of fracture and embolization, or natural formation of an embolus, with potentially life-threatening consequences.
  • Journal of the American Medical Association (2012): IVC filters do not reduce death rates for those who have a pulmonary embolism.
  • Journal of the American Medical Association (2013): Of 952 patients who received retrievable IVC filters, doctors were only able to remove 58 of the filters successfully.
  • Annals of Surgery (2015): When implanted with an IVC filter, the study found that the patients are no more likely to survive, but are over 80% more likely to develop deep vein thrombosis.
  • Journal of the American Medical Association (2015): JAMA found that the long-term risks of IVC filters are likely to negate any benefits that the filters provide in stopping blood clots.

Which Models of IVC Filters Allegedly Cause Injuries?

  • B. Braun Tempofilter IVC Filter
  • Bard G2x IVC
  • Bard G2
  • Cook Gunther Tulip
  • Cook Celect
  • Cordis OptEase IVC filter
  • ALN IVC filter
  • Rex Medical Option IVC filter

What Has The FDA Done About IVC Filters?

  • In August, 2010 the FDA released a warning to medical professionals, which stated that retrievable IVC filters should be removed as soon as there is no longer a risk of Pulmonary Embolism due to Deep Vein Thrombosis. This results in many IVC filters remaining in the body permanently, risking fracture or migration of the device.
  • In May, 2014 the FDA released a safety communication encouraging all physicians involved in the treatment and follow-up of patients receiving IVC filters to consider the risks and benefits of filter removal for each patient.
  • In July, 2015 the FDA released a warning letter that it sent to Bard, which indicated that Bard’s facilities were in violation of several regulations. The violations included misbranding their IVC retrieval devices and inadequately conducting quality inspections.

Why Call Us?

Our law firm is working with experienced IVC Filter lawyers, who are investigating these cases. If you have suffered a serious injury after being treated with one of these IVC Filters, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, among other losses. There is no fee unless you receive an award or settlement. Call our toll free number at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form online for a free (no obligation) case evaluation.