An inferior vena cava filter is an implantable spider-like medical device meant to prevent death by capturing blood clots before they can enter the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism.

Three of the main manufacturers who make and market the devices are under scrutiny for failing to disclose alleged serious IVC filter complications that may lead to potentially life-threatening organ perforation, embolism, fracture or migration.

What is an Inferior Vena Cava Filter?

Inferior vena cava filters, also known as IVC filters, are medical devices implanted into patients who are at risk of suffering a sudden arterial blockage in the lung or a pulmonary embolism. The devices catch fragments of blood clots that form in the legs or pelvis before they reach the heart or lungs, where blockages can cause severe health complications.

IVC filters are under increased scrutiny due to risks of fracture or failure. Malfunctions may result in death or serious injuries that require corrective surgeries or IVC filter removal.

Bard, the manufacturer of Recovery and G2 Inferior vena cava filters, is facing hundreds of lawsuits by patients who allegedly suffered serious injury from the devices. Cook, another medical device company, is also facing lawsuits regarding its Celect IVC Filter and Gunther Tulip IVC Filter.

The companies have been accused of manufacturing and marketing defective devices and of failure to adequately warn the medical community and the public about the risks and potential dangers of the IVC filter devices.

What Are the Complications?

When IVC filters fail, the device or its pieces may migrate to a patient’s heart and lungs, resulting in serious injury or death. The devices also can shift within a patient’s body, eventually reaching areas in the body that aren’t reachable by surgery.

In some cases, IVC filters are implanted into patients on a short-term basis. These devices, called retrievable IVC filters, are intended to be removed as soon as the risk of pulmonary embolism or other event decreases.

Unfortunately, when IVC filter removal doesn’t occur, patients have a higher risk of life-threatening IVC filter complications like lower-limb blood clots, filter fracture, migration, and perforation of internal organs.

In May 2014 the FDA updated a 2010 safety communication regarding IVC filter complications. According to the FDA, more than 1,000 reports of serious adverse events related to Bard IVC Filters have been reported, including device migration, embolizations (device component detachment), perforation of the IVC, or filter fracture.

In 2012, a study published in Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology examined 50 patients who were implanted with a Gunther Tulip or Celect IVC filter between July 2007 and May 2009. After 71 days, all of the filters had some degree of erosion into the vena cava wall. About 86 percent of the devices perforated the vena cava and 40 percent tilted into the vena cava.

IVC Filter Lawsuits

If you or a loved one suffered IVC filter complications such as perforation, DVT, or pulmonary embolism, or if IVC filter removal can not be safely performed due to device migration, you may have a legal claim.

Experienced IVC filter lawyers are currently reviewing potential claims across the country from patients and their family members. Plaintiffs may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, lost future earning capacity, emotional pain and suffering, or permanent disability.