A New York man has filed an Argon IVC filter lawsuit alleging that the temporary IVC filter he was implanted with was never removed.

Plaintiff Kevin O. was admitted to the hospital for intracranial bleeding and a basal artery bleeding event after he had undergone a surgical procedure on his knee, according to his claim.

His physician discovered that he was a good candidate for an IVC filter to prevent blood clots. With a lower body extremity surgery like Kevin had undergone, deadly blood clots may result. Kevin, however, was having difficulty with blood coagulation, so he could not be placed on a blood thinning medication. His doctor thought that an IVC filter would be a good option for him.

According to this Argon IVC filter lawsuit, in December 2011, Kevin was implanted with an IVC filter made by Argon Medical. An IVC filter is a small device that is inserted into the inferior vena cava. It catches blood clots before they travel to the lungs or the heart and become deadly.

Unfortunately, the device was never removed, Kevin claims. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged that IVC filters should be removed as soon as the danger for clots has passed.

The reason IVC filters should be explanted is that there are many problems associated with long-term use of the devices.

The FDA has reported that many of adverse event reports associated with IVC filter complications including filter migration, detachment of the IVC filter components, and perforation of the vein or other organs, are due to long-term use of the devices.

According to the FDA, IVC filter devices should be used as temporary solutions for patients who are at risk of deadly blood clot events such as pulmonary embolism. Once the patient is no longer at risk for fatal clotting events, the device should be removed.

In fact, the FDA notes that such devices should be removed from patients within 2 months of implantation.

The plaintiff in this Argon IVC filter lawsuit says he “was never considered for revision or removal of the device by any medical professionals.”

Several years after Kevin was implanted with the IVC filter manufactured by Argon, he began complaining of stomach pain. According to this Argon IVC filter lawsuit, Kevin believed that his stomach pain could be attributable to a migrated IVC filter.

He asked his doctor if the device could be removed. His doctor informed him that because the device had been in place for so long, at least five years, it could not be removed. It would be “difficult, if not impossible” according to this Argon IVC filter lawsuit.

Kevin believes that he has suffered and will continue to suffer from injuries including the risk of migration and fracture or breakage of the filter. Because it was never clearly stated to his physicians by the makers of the device that it was temporary and should be explanted, Kevin holds Argon responsible for his complications.

This Argon IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-00640, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Broome.