A Wisconsin man has filed a new blood clot filter injury lawsuit, alleging he suffered complications related to his Cook IVC filter.

Plaintiff Jerome M. says he was implanted with a Günther Tulip IVC filter in July 2010. The Günther Tulip is manufactured and marketed by defendant Cook Medical LLC and its associated companies.

Jerome claims he suffered IVC filter complications sometime after that implantation. His blood clot filter injury lawsuit was filed via a short form master complaint and does not specify exactly what complications he suffered.

Blood Clot Filter Injury Lawsuit Joins Others in MDL

Jerome’s claim is filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation, or MDL, centered on allegations that IVC filters made by Cook caused patients to suffer injuries in excess of what they were led to expect from the warnings and other information made available by the products’ manufacturers.

The MDL is a collection of similar IVC filter lawsuits combined into a single action to facilitate more efficient processing. This particular MDL is hosted at a federal court in Illinois, with U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young and U.S. Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker overseeing pretrial proceedings that apply to all claims in the MDL.

An IVC filter, or inferior vena cava filter, is used to prevent blood clot-related injuries like pulmonary embolism. These filters are used as an alternative to anticoagulant medications for patients who can’t or won’t take such drugs.

The filter is an implantable device that gets placed in the patient’s inferior vena cava, the large vein that carries blood from the lower body back to the heart and lungs. Once in position, an IVC filter catches blood clots before they can travel to the lungs, where they could cause a pulmonary embolism.

According to the MDL’s master long form complaint, IVC filters made by Cook have been associated with reports of dangerous and occasionally deadly IVC filter complications.

Following implantation, some Cook IVC filters have reportedly tilted out of position or migrated out of place. Some filters have allegedly fractured or come apart, leaving filter fragments loose in the patient’s bloodstream.

These alleged failures can result in complications for the patient. Filter fragments can lodge in the heart or lungs. Malpositioning of filters may make them impractical or impossible to remove surgically. Filters that move out of their proper place may fail to protect the patient from pulmonary embolism.

Plaintiffs in these IVC filter lawsuits generally allege that Cook failed to adequately warn them of the risks associated with these filters. They believe Cook withheld important safety information that could have helped them make a more informed decision about their health care.

These plaintiffs claim that had they known about the risk of IVC filter injuries, they never would have agreed to be implanted with the IVC filters at issue.

Jerome’s Blood Clot Filter Injury Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-356 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The Cook IVC Filter MDL is In re: Cook Medical Inc. IVC Filters Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2570, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.