A Colorado man recently filed a lawsuit against Cook Medical, alleging that his Gunther Tulip IVC filter caused some serious side effects.

The plaintiff, Eric J., was implanted with an IVC filter from Cook on June 1, 2011. The specific device named in the lawsuit is the Gunther Tulip IVC filter. Unfortunately, in the years following implantation with this device, Eric says he began suffering from serious complications. In response, Eric turned to litigation, filing a lawsuit

Eric’s Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit was filed on April 18, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others.

This Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit was filed as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, which combines a number of similar lawsuits together.

IVC Filter Complications

An inferior vena cava filter, also known as an IVC filter, is a common medical device used to prevent blood clots from entering a patient’s lungs and heart.

However, a growing number of reports in recent years have suggested that these IVC filters can cause serious injuries and complications. Many patients have responded like Eric: by filing lawsuits against the device’s manufacturer. Lawsuits allege that the devices themselves may be more harmful than the blood clots they are intended to treat.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency has received hundreds of reports over the past decade that reports of patients suffering from punctured organs and filter migrations due to implantation with IVC filters.

Filing an IVC Filter Lawsuit

This Gunther Tulip IVC filter lawsuit and many others like it claim that Cook Medical was aware that its IVC filter device can lead to serious complications, but continued to market and sell it as safe and effective anyway, placing personal profit over patient safety. The FDA has responded to the claims against the safety of IVC filters. The agency recommends that retrievable devices only be used on a temporary rather than permanent basis, and only if anticoagulant medications or other treatments are deemed ineffective.

Injured patients have filed lawsuits against a number of companies that make these vena cava filter devices, including Cook Medical, citing a number of serious complications including organ damage due to filter migration and breaks.

If you or someone you love has undergone complications after being implanted with a Gunther Tulip IVC filter from Cook Medical, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by IVC filter side effects, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden from medical expenses and lost wages.

The Gunther Tulip IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-01171-RLY-MPB, in the U.S. District Court for the Indianapolis Division of the Southern District of Indiana.