A growing number of injured patients are reporting and filing lawsuits over inferior vena cava filter failure that has led to severe or even fatal side effects.

IVC Filter Basics

IVC filter devices are becoming more commonly linked with inferior vena cava filter failure and its corresponding side effects and complications, some of which may be extreme.

IVC filters are devices used to combat blood clotting and its dangerous effects. Another common method used to prevent blood clotting is blood thinning drug, or anticoagulant.

For patients who are unable to take blood thinners or simply prefer another method, an IVC filter is the preferred method.

An inferior vena cava filter, also known as a blood clot filter, prevents blood clots from entering important areas of the body.

Specifically, IVC filters stop blood clots from entering the patient’s lungs or heart, which would have serious medical implications.

As the name itself suggests, the inferior vena cava filter is inserted into the largest vein in the body, the inferior vena cava.

Though blood thinners are undoubtedly popular, the use of IVC filter is also extremely widespread. Indeed, almost a quarter of a million patients are implanted with IVC filters each year.

Despite the popularity of these devices, IVC filters have become increasingly linked to major inferior vena cava filter failure and serious, and in some cases fatal, side effects.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Failure

Major inferior vena cava filter failure can occur if the IVC filter device is defective or incorrectly placed in the vein. A defective or incorrectly placed device can cause serious inferior vena cava filter failure side effects, including the following:

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

In many cases, inferior vena cava filter failure can cause extreme problems, often enough to warrant IVC filter removal. For some, this may include extreme side effects like device migration and breakage.

Though these complications often necessitate filter removal, after some inferior vena cava filter failure side effects, it is actually too dangerous for device removal.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Failure Lawsuits

A growing number of patients who have experienced serious inferior vena cava filter failure problems such as device migration or perforation are responding by filing lawsuits against the device’s manufacturers.

According to these lawsuits, the benefits of the filter devices are not worth the risk.

IVC filter lawsuits further allege that manufacturers intentionally concealed the severity of inferior vena cava filter failure side effects from consumers and the larger medical community, placing company profit over consumer safety.

Lawsuits over inferior vena cava filter failure allege that device manufacturers have a responsibility to warn consumers and the medical community about the serious risks associated with their devices.

Filing an inferior vena cava filter failure lawsuit cannot repair the damage a patient suffers, but can help compensate for financial losses from medical expenses and lost wages a patient may experience.

If you or someone you know has been implanted with an inferior vena cava filter and suffered from side effects such as perforation, you may be able to file a lawsuit.