Blood clot filter devices are popular solutions for preventing serious blood clot problems, but the filters themselves have been linked with potentially severe side effects leading some to file IVC Filter lawsuits.

Some patients report that complications from blood clot filter devices may be even more severe than blood clots themselves, placing patients’ lives at risk.

What is a Blood Clot Filter?

A blood clot filter is a device intended to prevent the serious complications that come from blood clots in a patient’s lungs or heart.

The blood clot filter, sometimes called an Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter, is inserted into the largest vein—the inferior vena cava—and prevents blood clots from entering the heart or lungs.

Blood clots in the heart or lungs can cause severe complications, and even result in a patient’s death, which is why many patients at risk of blood clotting choose to use a blood clot filter.

Many patients choose blood clot filters because they may be medically unable to use a blood thinning drug instead.

Blood clot filter complications have the potential to affect a large number of people. Approximately 250,000 patients receive blood clot filter implants each year.

Despite the fact that a blood clot filter is intended to save patients from serious complications, many patients have reported that the filters themselves can cause extreme blood clot filter side effects.

In some cases, patients were forced to undergo blood clot filter removal in order to prevent more damage.

Blood Clot Filter Side Effects

Serious blood clot filter side effects can occur if the filter device is defective or incorrectly placed in the vein. A defective or incorrectly placed device can cause serious blood clot filter side effects, including:

• Vein perforation
• Organ perforation
• Device migration/breakage
• Pulmonary embolism

Blood clot filter patients who suffer from these serious side effects should seek medical attention to have their filter removed. In some more serious cases, it may be too dangerous for blood clot filter removal, as any movement could cause immediate serious damage.

Blood Clot Filter Side Effects Lawsuits

Many patients who have experienced serious blood clot filter side effects such as perforation have responded by filing lawsuits against IVC filter manufacturers, alleging that the filters are not worth the risk, and that manufacturers intentionally concealed the seriousness of side effects from consumers and the larger medical community.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that hundreds of patients have reported serious blood clot filter side effects in the last ten years.

IVC lawsuits allege that blood clot filter manufacturers have a responsibility to warn consumers and the medical community about the serious risks associated with their filter devices.

Filing a blood clot filter lawsuit can help compensate for financial losses from medical expenses and lost wages a patient may experience, but cannot repair the damage a patient suffers.

If you or someone you know has been implanted with a blood clot filter and suffered from complications such as perforation, you may be able to file a blood clot filter lawsuit.