A growing number of inferior vena cava filter lawsuits are being filed against medical device manufacturers, alleging that these devices are defective and cause serious injury.

Lawsuits claim that IVC filters are not worth the risk, given that possible IVC filter complications may be more likely to be harmful than the blood clots they are treating.

An IVC filter, also known as an inferior vena cava filter, is a device used to prevent blood clots from moving in to a patient’s lungs and heart, which can be dangerous or even fatal.

The device is placed in the inferior vena cava, or the largest vein in the body. This vein is extremely important, as it returns blood to the heart and then to the lungs. Blood clots in this vein are an extreme risk.

However, some patients who have been implanted with an IVC filter are coming forward, claiming that the devices carry with them serious IVC filter complications.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of adverse events reports regarding IVC filters in the last ten years. Hundreds of IVC filter patients report that improper IVC filter placement has led to filter migration and punctured organs.

The FDA reports that 35 percent of adverse events reports included filter migration following IVC filter placement. Filter migration occurs when the IVC filter moves from its original placement, and can cause a number of complications, including punctured organs.

Unfortunately, treatment for serious IVC filter complications can in itself be dangerous.

The plaintiff involved in this IVC filter lawsuit, Quincy E., was implanted with a Gunther Tulip Vena Cava Filter on July 14, 2009.

The inferior vena cava filter lawsuit is part of multidistrict litigation, or MDL, and was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, defective design, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, and punitive damages.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Lawsuits

Quincy’s IVC filter lawsuit and many others like it allege that Cook Medical is responsible for the defective device and for the complications that many patients have been forced to endure.

Lawsuits allege that Cook Medical either knew or should have known that the Gunther Tulip IVC Filter design is linked with serious and even life-threatening complications, yet chose to market the product as safe and effective anyway.

The FDA has recommended that IVC filter devices only be used if other treatments are considered ineffective, and if they are necessary, that they only be used for as short a time as possible rather than being considered permanent.

If you or someone you love has been implanted with an inferior vena cava filter and has since suffered from serious complications such as filter migration or organ perforation, you may be able to file an IVC filter lawsuit.

While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering from these complications, it can help to compensate for the financial expenses incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

The Inferior Vena Cava Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:14-2570-RLY-TAB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division.