A Tennessee man has filed a Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit against Cook Medical claiming that the filter was the cause of severe complications.

Plaintiff David B. of Tennessee was implanted with the Gunther Tulip Vena Cava filter on July 21, 2006, according to his Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit.

In his Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit, David is bringing forth claims of failure to warn, design defect, negligence, negligence per se, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, violations of Tennessee state law prohibiting consumer fraud and unfair and deceptive trade practices and punitive damages.

This Gunther Tulip IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02393, in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division.

What is a Gunther Tulip IVC Filter?

An IVC filter, or inferior vena cava filter, is a small medical device that is placed inside the large inferior vena cava of the body. The purpose of the IVC filter is to catch blood clots that may travel from the lower extremities of the body upward to the heart or lungs.

If a blood clot forms deep in the veins of the legs due to an accident or a surgery, it is called a deep vein thrombosis. These clots can travel to the lungs or the heart. If a clot travels to the lungs, it is called a pulmonary embolism which can be fatal.

The reason someone gets an IVC filter is because they may not be a candidate for other blood thinning and clot-preventing methods. If a patient cannot be on blood thinning medication for some reason, an IVC filter is an option. It is often meant as a temporary solution that should be removed within 6-12 months, or whenever the risk of clotting has passed.

According to Cook’s website, the Gunther Tulip IVC filter is implanted for the following reasons:

• “Pulmonary thromboembolism when anticoagulant therapy is contraindicated;
• Failure of anticoagulant therapy in thromboembolic diseases;
• Emergency treatment following massive pulmonary embolism where anticipated benefits of conventional therapy are reduced; and
• Chronic, recurrent pulmonary embolism where anticoagulant therapy has failed or is contraindicated.”

IVC filters were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1979 and their use has increased throughout the last decades. In fact, the American College of Cardiology found in a 2016 study that it was likely that IVC filters were being overused.

However, many people have found it necessary to file a Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit because of severe and possibly deadly complications related to their filter. These include three types of complications: procedural, retrieval and delayed.

Procedural complications happen during implantation procedures. These include site bleeding and bruising, blood vessel puncture and incorrect placement. Retrieval complications, occurring during retrieval, include vein scars that prevent removal, difficult retrieval, large clots or blood vessel perforation.

Perhaps the most alarming of IVC filter complications can occur at any time. These include migration, deep vein thrombosis, filter fracture, device infection and perforated organs. There have also been reports of the device breaking apart and traveling to other parts of the body.

If you or someone you love has been affected adversely by an IVC filter, you may qualify to file a Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit.