A new lawsuit has been filed within the Cook IVC filter MDL by an Ohio man who alleges the medical device caused him serious personal injuries.

Plaintiff Louis E. stated that he had the Cook Celect vena cava filter implanted in his body on Feb. 27, 2013 in a hospital in Ohio. As a result, he sustained a personal injury as described in his lawsuit submission to the Cook IVC filter MDL. His short form complaint does not detail the nature of his injuries.

As a result, Louis has raised several allegations against the product manufacturer including strict products liability for both failure to warn and design defect, negligence, negligence per se, breach of express warranty, violations of applicable Ohio law prohibiting consumer fraud and unfair and deceptive trade practices and punitive damages.

Louis is seeking a trial by jury and is requesting unspecified damages.

The Cook IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02432-RLY-TAB and is part of the Cook IVC Filter MDL 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, Indianapolis Division.

What is a Cook IVC Filter?

A Cook IVC filter is a medical device that is implanted into a patient’s vena cava, the largest vein in the body, in order to prevent blood clots from traveling to the heart or lungs where they can do severe damage. An IVC filter is often placed in a patient when he or she is unable to tolerate oral blood thinning medication and there is a chance that a blood clot can travel to the heart or lungs.

The IVC filter device itself looks like a small cage with fingerlike projections coming out from the body of the device. The filter is designed to essentially “trap” blood clots that originate in the lower extremities as they travel along the vein back to the heart. Once the blood clot is trapped in the IVC filter, the body’s natural mechanisms work to dissolve the clot.

However, a number of complications have been reported with the use of the IVC filter, and these are highlighted in the Master Consolidated Complaint for the Cook IVC filter MDL. These complications include:

• Filter migration to other parts of the body
• Filter tilting, rendering it less effective or even useless
• Filter fracture, and in some cases, migration of filter parts throughout the body
• Perforation of organs by the filter

Any of these complications can lead to serious injury and lasting damage, as well as death.

Cook IVC Filter MDL Continues to Grow

At last count, the Cook IVC filter MDL had a total of 2342 lawsuits filed under U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young in Indiana federal court. The number continues to grow as more and more patients become aware that there are many others in their situation dealing with issues stemming from IVC filter problems.

If you have suffered from complications stemming from a Cook IVC filter, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit within the Cook IVC filter MDL. An attorney familiar with the issues surrounding Cook IVC filters can provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation case review to go over the unique details of your case and can help you decide if proceeding with legal action against the product manufacturer is right for you.