A California man recently filed a lawsuit against Cook Medical, alleging that the company’s Gunther Tulip device led to dangerous vena cava filter problems because of defects. In response, he began pursuing litigation against the manufacturer, which is now part of a larger MDL or multidistrict litigation consolidating several similar lawsuits into a single action.

The plaintiff, Eckard N., was initially implanted with a Cook Gunther Tulip IVC filter device back on Sept. 17, 2011, the lawsuit notes. However, after the device was implanted, Eckard began experiencing some serious vena cava filter problems. According to the lawsuit, these vena cava filter problems came as a direct result of a Gunther Tulip defect.

Eckard is not the only patient to file a lawsuit or send an FDA report over vena cava filter problems. Patients have reported experiencing a number of vena cava filter problems, including filter migration and substantial organ damage.

The Cook Gunther Tulip vena cava filter lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, and punitive damages, among others. The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 2, 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

The Cook Gunther Tulip Vena Cava Filter

An inferior vena cava filter, more simply known as an IVC filter, is a kind of medical device intended to prevent blood clots from entering a patient’s lungs and heart. IVC filters are a popular alternative to anticoagulant medications for treating blood clot conditions. The Cook Gunther Tulip vena cava filter is a popular option from medical device giant Cook Medical.

However, a growing number of reports in recent years have suggested that these IVC filters like the Cook Gunther Tulip can cause serious vena cava filter problems. Many patients have responded by filing lawsuits against their device’s manufacturers.

According to these lawsuits, the Gunther Tulip and other IVC filters may be more harmful than the blood clots they are intended to treat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of reports over the past decade from patients who suffered from punctured organs and filter migrations due to implantation with IVC filters.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Vena Cava Filter Problems

This Cook Gunther Tulip vena cava filter lawsuit and many others like it claim that Cook Medical was aware that its IVC filter device can lead to serious vena cava filter problems, but continued to market and sell it as safe and effective anyway, placing personal profit over patient safety.

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

The Vena Cava Filter Problems Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-03549-RLY-MJD, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.