Amanda Antell  |  November 30, 2015

Category: Legal News

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IVC filter pulmonary embolismC.R. Bard was hit with another inferior vena cava (IVC) lawsuit from a woman who allegedly suffered from the design defects of the product. The injured patient claimed that the IVC filter failed with the product breaking apart and causing serious injury and damage to her person.

South Carolina plaintiff Joanne D. had the Bard Eclipse IVC filter implanted on Oct. 26, 2010 to resolve a blood clot formation in either her legs or pelvis. Several years after the surgery, it was discovered that the IVC filter had failed.

The lawsuit shows that the Eclipse IVC filter had perforated the wall of Joanne’s inferior vena cava and migrated into a different area of her body, and caused her significant medical injury.

Joanne has been required to undergo extensive medical treatment, which included an open vascular surgical removal of the IVC filter in December 2012. Her IVC filter lawsuit says that she will require intensive medical care, for some time to come.

Joanne alleges that she has suffered various damages from the IVC filter, including high medical bills, pain and suffering, disability, and permanent scarring.

Overview of IVC Filter Complications

Ever since IVC filters were first made available in the 1960s, Bard and other manufacturing companies have developed their own models. Specifically, the Eclipse IVC filter was first sold to the public in January 2010 to prevent blood clots from traveling from the lower body towards the heart and lungs.

IVC filters are small, cage shaped devices that are placed in the inferior vena cava vein that ultimately prevent pulmonary embolisms. IVC filters can either be placed permanently inside the patient, or temporary models can be removed after several months. However, the temporary models have been linked to serious, life threatening complications when they are not removed after the blood clot is resolved.

In the same year the Eclipse IVC filter was release, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety announcement regarding IVC filter injury reports. The federal agency reported that it had received 921 injury reports since 2005, with 328 reports involving migration, 146 reports indicating IVC filters breaking apart, 70 reports of perforation, and 56 reports of IVC filter failures.

The FDA warned that many of these complications were linked to long term use of the devices, and should be removed once the blood clot is resolved.

According to the IVC filter lawsuit, before her injuries were diagnosed, Joanne had no prior knowledge of IVC filter complications or the risks associated with the product.

Joanne alleges that Bard knew or should have known of these possibilities and passed along this knowledge to her and her physician. Joanne insists that she never would have used the IVC filter, if she had known the risks.

So for being allegedly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous product, Joanne is suing C.R. Bard. The charges include: negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This IVC Filter Lawsuit is Joanna D. v. C.R. Bard, Case No. 4:15-cv-04380-MDL, in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, Florence Division.

In general, IVC filter lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

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If you or a loved one were injured by IVC filter complications, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify to pursue compensation and join a free IVC filter class action lawsuit investigation by submitting your information for a free case evaluation.

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