A Pennsylvania woman recently filed a new lawsuit against C.R. Bard, alleging use of the company’s inferior vena cava filter device caused her to suffer serious complications, including IVC filter perforation.

The plaintiff, Rayetta E., was implanted with a Recovery Vena Cava Filter from Bard on March 15, 2006. However, according to the lawsuit, Rayetta began suffering from serious side effects of the device in the months and years following implantation. In her lawsuit, she cites IVC filter perforation and device migration problems.

Rayetta filed her IVC filter perforation lawsuit on June 1, 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, and several others.

IVC Filter Complications

An IVC filter, also known as an inferior vena cava filter, is a medical device implanted in a patient’s main artery 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, including IVC filter perforation.

Rayetta is not the first to file a lawsuit against Bard over IVC filter perforation and other side effects. Lawsuits likes this one are being filed across the U.S., claiming that the product can be too dangerous for patients—in some cases, more dangerous that the complications they are meant to treat­­­.

According to these lawsuits, 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.

Filing a Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit

IVC filter 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.

The FDA has responded to these claims against the safety of IVC filter devices, recommending that the devices only be used on a temporary basis, and even then, only if medications or other treatments are deemed ineffective.

Injured patients have filed lawsuits against a number of IVC filter makers, including Bard. These lawsuits cite organ damage due to IVC filter perforation, migration and breaks, as well as other serious complications.

If you or someone you know has undergone complications due to retrievable IVC filters, you may have cause to file a Bard IVC filter lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit does not repair the damage, but can help compensate for the physical, emotional, and financial losses felt as a result of these devices.

The IVC Filter Perforation Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-01664-DGC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.