A California man recently filed a lawsuit against Bard over the company’s Denali vena cava filter, alleging the device caused serious complications.

The plaintiff, Rafik R., says he was implanted with a Denali vena cava filter manufactured by C.R. Bard on Jan. 29, 2014. Unfortunately, in the months and years following implantation of the Denali vena cava filter device, Rafik alleges he began suffering from serious complications.

In response to his injuries, pain and suffering, and additional medical bills, Rafik has filed a lawsuit alleging that Bard knew about a number of risks associated with its Denali vena cava filter but failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about these risks.

Rafik filed his Denali vena cava filter lawsuit on Aug. 17, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including manufacturing defect, failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and several others.

Rafik’s is not the first lawsuit to be filed over complications associated with the Denali vena cava filter. Indeed, a group of these lawsuits have been consolidated into an MDL, or multidistrict litigation.

Denali Vena Cava Filter Complications

An IVC filter, also known as an inferior vena cava filter, is a medical device implanted in a patient’s main vein to prevent blood clots from moving into a patient’s lungs and heart and causing serious damage, including risk of death. However, a growing number of reports in recent years have suggested that these IVC filter devices themselves can cause serious injuries and complications.

A growing number of lawsuits like Rafik’s are being filed all across the country, alleging that the devices can be dangerous for patients—even more dangerous than the complications they are meant to address. Indeed, lawsuits claim that IVC filter devices are not worth the risk they pose to patients, but the patients had not been adequately warned about these serious side effects.

Adverse event reports filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past decade show that hundreds of patients have suffered from IVC filter side effects from punctured organs to filter migration, causing serious or permanent problems.

The FDA now recommends that the devices only be used on a temporary basis, and even then, only if medications or other treatments are deemed ineffective.

Filing a Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit

Rafik’s Denali vena cava filter lawsuit, and many others like it, claim that Bard and other medical device manufacturers should take responsibility for the devastating side effects their devices have allegedly caused in patients and their families across the country. The lawsuits allege that Bard was aware that its IVC filter device can lead to serious complications, but continued to market and sell it anyway without regard for patient safety.

Lawsuits cite a number of injuries, including organ damage due to filter migration and breaks, as well as other serious complications.

If you or someone you love has suffered from complications after implantation with a Denali vena cava filter or similar IVC device, you may have cause to file a lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit does not undo the pain and suffering caused by a defective IVC filter, but it can help alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Denali Vena Cava Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-02608-DGC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.