In a recent medical device lawsuit, a Pennsylvania woman claims she has been injured by the G2 Inferior Vena Cava Filter, or IVC filter, implanted to prevent injuries related to blood clots.

The IVC filter, or blood clot filter, is a medical device that is surgically implanted into the vena cava vein to prevent blood clots from progressing into the lungs or heart, with potentially fatal consequences.

The Bard G2 IVC filter is manufactured by C.R. Bard and Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc.

C.R. Bard, Inc., now branded as “Bard”, is headquartered in New Jersey, and is a manufacturer, marketer, and developer of medical devices and technologies specializing in oncology, vascular, and urology. As of 2015, It is an S& P 500 company with roughly 14,000 employees.

In released information announced by NBC News, the Recovery filter introduced in 2002 was associated with several hundred non-fatal adverse effects and 27 deaths. A further study conducted by Bard illustrated that the Recovery filter had increased rates for risk of death, filter fracture, and movement than any of its medical rivalries.

The G2 filter was the subject of several adverse event reports similar to those linked to the Recovery filter. However, instead of recalling the medical device, Bard kept it on the market for five years. According to the Federal Drug Administration, hundreds of adverse effects have been associated with the Bard G2 IVC filter, including 12 deaths.

What is extremely worrisome is that a fragment from the Bard G2 IVC filter can be carried in the bloodstream until it reaches the heart, where it can disturb heart function to the point of causing death.

The FDA, with reports nearly climbing 1,000 in adverse effects since 2005, has reminded medical practitioners to remove retrievable IVC filters as soon as possible. In 2014, a safety communication was released advising medical practitioners to remove the IVC filter once risks of blood clots abate, generally about 29 to 54 days.

A study published in Archives of Internal Medicine also reports a 12% fracture rate with the Bard G2 IVC filter.

And in another study, published in the Journal of Vascular Interventional Radiology, researchers reported that approximately 38% of G2 IVC filters studied would fracture within a 5- year period. Fragments of G2 filters were found in various parts of the patients’ circulatory systems between the site of implantation and the heart and lungs. One fragment was reportedly found in a patient’s kidney.

Complications like these have gotten Bard in a substantial amount of legal hot water. The company is now facing over 1,700 IVC filter lawsuits brought by patients who say they suffered complications that could have been avoided.

Generally, these patients say Bard failed to properly warn them about the complications associated with these devices. With a better idea of the risks involved, many patients say they would never have agreed to have these filters implanted.