A Georgia man recently filed a Celect IVC Filter lawsuit against Cook Medical alleging the IVC device led to serious injuries.

The plaintiff, Rufus C., was implanted with a Cook IVC filter on Jan. 15, 2014, according to court documents. However, sometime after the implantation of this device, Rufus allegedly began suffering from serious injuries directly caused by a defect of the device.

In response to these injuries, Rufus filed his Celect IVC Filter lawsuit on multiple counts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, punitive damages and the state consumer fraud laws of Georgia.

The specific IVC device named in this lawsuit is the Cook Celect Vena Cava Filter. Rufus filed his Celect IVC Filter lawsuit on Aug. 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Rufus’s Celect IVC Filter lawsuit against Cook is part of a wider multidistrict litigation, or MDL, which brings a number of similar Cook lawsuits together.

Major Side Effects of IVC Filter Devices

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

Preventing blood clots from entering these organs protects a patient from a variety of serious conditions that can be severe or even fatal. IVC filters are a popular alternative to the use of anticoagulants, or blood thinner medications. Some patients are unable to use blood thinners, or simply prefer a medical device implant to taking the medication.

While the use of IVC filter devices is undoubtedly widespread, a growing number of reports in recent years have suggested that these devices can themselves cause serious side effects.

IVC filter lawsuits across the U.S. allege that these devices may be altogether too dangerous in comparison with their benefits, especially given the fact that there are other, less dangerous options available.

IVC filter devices are not even worth the risk they pose to patients, lawsuits claim, despite the manufacturers’ insistence on their safety and efficacy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of adverse event reports over the past decade over serious IVC filter side effects. Patients have reported suffering from punctured organs and filter migration, which can cause serious problems.

Filing a Celect IVC Filter Lawsuit

This Celect IVC filter lawsuit and many others like it, filed against a number of different manufacturers, cite serious complications including organ damage due to filter migration and breaks.

The FDA has responded to the claims against the safety of vena cava filters, including the Cook Celect IVC filter device. The federal agency recommends that the devices only be used on a temporary rather than permanent basis, and only if medications or other treatments are deemed ineffective.

If you or someone you love has undergone complications after being implanted with a Cook Celect IVC filter, you may have cause to file a Celect IVC filter lawsuit.

The Celect IVC Filter Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02969-TWP-TAB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division.