A California woman decided to file a lawsuit against Cook Medical after her fractured IVC filter caused serious and permanent injuries.

The plaintiff, Joan W., was implanted with a Cook Celect IVC Filter on January 11, 2008. However, after the implant, the IVC filter failed, fracturing in multiple places.

The fractured IVC filter device lodged a piece in the right side of her heart and migrated from its original placement, perforating the walls of her inferior vena cava. A portion of the filter protruded into her right kidney.

The injuries caused by this fractured IVC filter caused significant pain and suffering, disability, scarring, disfigurement, and significant medical expenses, the lawsuit claims.

The fractured IVC filter lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, and loss of consortium, among others.

What is an IVC Filter?

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, the largest vein in the body.

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.

Fractured IVC Filter Lawsuits

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

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

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 fractured IVC filters and improper IVC filter placement have led to filter migration and punctured organs.

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

Lawsuits allege that Cook Medical is responsible for their defective device and for the complications that many patients have been forced to endure.

These lawsuits also allege that Cook Medical either knew or should have known that their IVC filters are 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 caused by a fractured IVC filter 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 Fractured IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 8:16-cv-01542, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of the Central District of California.