Some patients who suffered from IVC filter complication say their injuries went beyond what they were led to expect from the devices’ promotional materials.

For patients in that position, consultation with a blood clot filter lawyer is the first step in seeking compensation for IVC filter complications.

An IVC filter is a device made to stop blood clots from traveling from the lower body to the upper body, where they can do significant damage.

Blood clots that form in the blood vessels of the legs can end up in the lungs. There, they can cause a condition known as pulmonary embolism, a painful condition that’s potentially deadly.

IVC filters are used to prevent these complications in patients who are at risk for blood-clot related complications but who also can’t or won’t take anticoagulant medication.

The filter itself is a small, basket-like device that consists of a group of wire legs joined at one end. A doctor implants the filter by positioning it inside the inferior vena cava, the large blood vessel that carries blood from the lower body back to the heart and lungs.

If all goes well, the device remains in place and captures blood clots before they can reach the upper body. Some filters are designed to be left in place permanently. Others are designed to be removed once the patient is no longer at risk for pulmonary embolism.

IVC Filter Complications

But many patients’ IVC filters did not work the way they were supposed to, resulting in dangerous and potentially deadly complications.

Post-market reports detail cases in which IVC filters perforated nearby veins and organs. Some filters came loose from their original position and migrated elsewhere in the circulatory system. Others have fractured, leaving fragments loose in the bloodstream.

Filters and filter fragments may migrate all the way to the heart, where they can cause significant complications. In some cases, surgical removal would be too complicated or risky. Patients then have to live with their filter or its fragments still inside their body, possibly keeping them at risk for future complications.

Getting Help from a Blood Clot Filter Lawyer

With help from a blood clot filter lawyer, patients in their position can seek compensation for their injuries through an IVC filter lawsuit.

Several patients have already filed claims against IVC filter manufacturers like C.R. Bard, Cook Medical, and Boston Scientific. Due to the large numbers of similar claims, the federal court system has consolidated several of these claims into multidistrict litigations, or MDLs.

Each of these MDLs coordinates all the federal IVC filter claims against a single defendant. Coordination between judges and the parties’ blood clot filter lawyers help pretrial procedures run more efficiently, preventing inconsistent judicial decisions on pretrial matters and wasteful duplication of discovery procedures.

These MDLs are ongoing. Patients who have suffered from IVC filter complications may qualify to add their own claims. A consultation with a blood clot filter lawyer can give patients a good idea of their legal options.