A man is suing the makers of the Cook Celect IVC filter after the device allegedly injured him.

Plaintiff Michael P. was implanted with the Cook Celect IVC (Inferior Vena Cava) filter on Aug. 25, 2015 to prevent complications from blood clots.

Introduced in 1979, IVC filters are small cage-like structures that are intended to capture blood clots before the clots can travel to the lungs, where they could result in a pulmonary embolism.

The Cook Celect IVC filter is a fragile mechanism. The structure looks like a spider, with moveable “legs” that can break away and travel to other parts of the body.

Because Cook Medical promoted the Celect model as a device extremely similar to its older IVC filter called the Gunther Tulip IVC filter, the Celect model was given a waiver by the FDA, which said the Celect did not need to go through clinical trials.

The problem with the Gunther Tulip filter was that it tended to have tilting problems once implanted. Cook Medical attempted to fix that problem by adding four more legs to the Celect model.

The four extra legs are shorter and do not have protected ends.

There have been reports of filter pieces tearing blood vessels and veins as they make their way through the body. In some instances, broken pieces have even pierced the heart.

Cook Celect IVC Filter Problems by the Numbers

Patients with a Cook Select IVC filter have an average of 86 percent risk of a perforated vein within five months of implantation, according to one study published by the National Institutes of Health in December 2012.

In another study published by the National Institutes of Health in March 2014, researchers from the Imaging Institute in Cleveland, Ohio looked at 690 patients who had received Cook Celect IVC filters. Thirty-nine percent of patients experienced a punctured vein within 30 days. At 90 days, that number increased to 80 percent. Thirteen percent experienced pieces of the filter traveling to other parts of the body and puncturing other organs.

In June 2015, the Journal of Vascular Interventional Radiology published a determination that Cook Celect IVC filters had a 43 percent rate of perforation.

When people endure serious injuries or undergo surgeries, their risk of blood clots increases. In order to prevent blood clots, a surgeon might implant an IVC filter to decrease that risk, especially if a patient cannot tolerate blood thinning medications.

FDA Advises IVC Filter Removal as Soon as Feasible

While some IVC filters have been designed to be permanent, the FDA recommends retrieval of all of them if the risk for pulmonary embolism has passed as long as the patient’s health status is stable.

In some instances, clots are so large, they push the IVC filter into other parts of the body rather than stopping and breaking up the clot. Sometimes the IVC filters will get occluded with blood, reducing blood flow back to the heart.

The Cook Celect IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-01225-SEB-DKL in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division.

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. An IVC filter lawsuit may help you obtain compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and more.