Ashley Milano  |  July 27, 2015

Category: Legal News

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Human circulation cardiovascular system with heart anatomy from a healthy body isolated on white background as a medical health care symbol of an inner vascular

Bard, the manufacturer of the Recovery and G2 IVC filters, is facing hundreds of lawsuits by patients who suffered serious injuryallegedly caused by the devices. Cook, another medical device company is also facing lawsuits regarding its Celect IVC Filter and Gunther Tulip IVC Filter.

The companies have been accused of manufacturing and marketing defective devices and of failure to adequately warn the medical community and the public about the risks and potential dangers of the IVC filter devices.

Cook Medical faces an IVC filter lawsuit filed by a Michigan man and his wife, which alleges that a piece of the company’s Celect IVC filter broke free inside his body, causing severe injury when it punctured his heart.

Plaintiffs Larry and Brenda J. claim that the IVC filter designed to “catch” blood clots before they travel to the lungs actually caused a heart laceration. Larry received the IVC filter after undergoing surgery in October 2010 to prevent blood clots that may break free in the deep veins of his legs from causing a pulmonary embolism.

More than four years after the IVC filter was implanted in his vena cava, Larry alleges that he began to experience sharp pains in his chest and back. In November 2014, the pain became so intense that he lost consciousness and drove off the road.

According to the IVC filter lawsuit, it took four emergency heart surgeries before doctors discovered a thin wire had pierced his heart, and every time his heart beat, the piece of the Cook IVC filter lacerated his heart even more.

In October 2014, IVC filter lawsuits against Cook Medical were centralized in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in a federal court in Indiana.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order that centralized 27 IVC Filter lawsuits pending in 11 district courts into the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Federal judges selected Indiana because half of the IVC filter lawsuits against Cook, which is based in Indiana, have already been filed there.

The first Bard IVC filter lawsuits were filed in state courts in California and Pennsylvania in 2012 but additional lawsuits in federal courts followed.

In February, the first Bard IVC filter lawsuit to go to trial was settled for an undisclosed amount after 10 days of litigation. The plaintiff, Kevin P. allegedly suffered serious harm when his Bard Recovery IVC filter failed, breaking apart and sending a metal component through his blood vessels, puncturing his heart. He required open-heart surgery and underwent a lengthy recovery period.

IVC Filter Complications

An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a small medical device that is implanted deep inside the body to capture blood clots before they enter the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately, when temporary filters are not removed, patients have a higher risk of life-threatening IVC filter complications like lower-limb blood clots, filter fracture, migration, and perforation of internal organs.

In 2012, a study published in Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology studied 50 patients who were implanted with a Gunther Tulip or Celect IVC filter between July 2007 and May 2009. After 71 days, all of the filters had some degree of erosion into the vena cava wall. About 86% perforated the vena cava and 40% tilted into the vena cava.

FDA Addresses IVC Filter Problems

The FDA updated a 2010 safety communication in May 2014 regarding device removal complications. The FDA has received more than 1,000 reports of serious adverse events related to Bard IVC Filters. Reports include 328 for device migration, 146 for embolizations (device component detachment), 70 for perforation of the IVC, 56 for filter fracture.

If you or a loved one suffered IVC filter side effects such as migration, IVC perforation, DVT, or pulmonary embolism, you may have a legal claim.

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

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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Join a Free IVC Filter Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

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.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case.

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Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.