Defective Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters

Helping Patients Harmed by Strokes, Heart Attacks and Other IVC Filter Complications

Thousands of patients across the country at risk for blood clots may have been exposed, without their knowledge, to serious harm caused by defective retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters.

According to recent studies and adverse event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these medical devices may fracture, migrate and pierce the inferior vena cava, heart or lungs.

If you believe that you or a loved one has suffered injury after being treated with a retrievable IVC filter produced by companies such as Bard or Cook Medical, the legal team of The Driscoll Firm, LLC, would like to help you.

Our law firm is a national leader in dangerous drug and defective medical device cases with extensive experience in complex civil litigation. We serve clients across the country.

We can provide a free, timely and confidential review of your case. Just call or submit our online contact form today in order to get started.

What Are Retrievable IVC Filters?

When a patient suffers a blood clot in the legs, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), there is a risk that the clot will travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE).

To catch these blood clots, doctors have, for many years, inserted small devices in the inferior vena cava, or IVC filters. The inferior vena cava is the body’s largest vein. It carries blood from the lower body.

In recent years, manufacturers began to produce and sell retrievable IVC filters, highlighting the fact that the filters could be removed once a patient’s risk of blood clots passed.

The Bard Recovery and G2 series and the Cook Celect are examples of these IVC filters.

What Problems Are Linked to IVC Filters?

You or your loved one may be among the hundreds of thousands of patients who have been treated with retrievable IVC filters. Despite their widespread use, the safety and effectiveness of these devices has come under scrutiny.

A study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine in 2010 found that fragmentation or embolization occurred among:

• 25 percent of patients treated with Bard Recovery filters
• 12 percent of patients treated with Bard G2 filters.

The study noted that these problems could be “a flaw inherent in all brands” of retrievable IVC filters.

In that same year, the FDA issued a safety communication, stating the agency had received 921 adverse event reports over a five-year span about these devices, including:

Adverse Event	Reports
Device migration	328
Embolization	146
IVC perforation	70
Filter fracture	56

 

The FDA noted that these problems could be caused by leaving retrievable IVC filters for too long inside a patient’s body. The FDA issued another warning in 2014 about the risks of the devices staying in the body after there is no longer a risk of a pulmonary embolism.

Recent news reports have focused specifically on IVC filters made and sold by Bard. According to NBC News, at least 27 deaths have been linked to the company’s Recovery IVC filter , including one case in which the device was pushed into and punctured the patient’s heart.

“But even as death and injury reports were climbing, the company decided not to recall the Recovery,” NBC News states. “Instead, Bard sold about 34,000 of them for nearly three years before replacing them with a modified version with a new name, G2.”

In 2015, the FDA sent Bard a warning letter, claiming that the company had been marketing its Recovery Cone Removal System without agency approval. The FDA also accused Bard of:

• Failure to inform the FDA regarding reports that a device has malfunctioned and may have contributed to a patient suffering death or serious injury
• Adulteration or misbranding the product
• Violation of quality system regulations
• Failure to establish and maintain procedures in inspection testing or otherwise verify that incoming products meet required specifications
• Failure to create and maintain procedures to make sure suppliers meet required specifications.

Clearly, these studies and reports all raise serious questions for patients who have experienced serious or fatal health problems, including strokes or heart attacks, after being treated with retrievable IVC filters.

Harmed by a Defective IVC Filter? What Are Your Legal Options?

Our team at The Driscoll Firm is currently investigating injury and death claims related to retrievable IVC filters produced by Bard, Cook and other medical device companies.

If you or a loved one had one of these filters implanted in your body and later suffered serious consequences such as organ perforation, surgery to remove detached parts or similar complications, you may have the right to bring a claim for compensation.

We have filed numerous lawsuits in state and federal courts alleging:

• A defective design which makes the filters more likely to fracture, migrate, tilt or perforate the inferior vena cava, heart or lungs
• Misrepresentation in marketing
• Failure to properly warn doctors and patients.

You should know that many lawsuits filed in federal courts have been consolidated in what are called multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceedings:

• MDL No. 2641 – This MDL involves claims against C.R. Bard, Inc., and Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. The Honorable David G. Campbell is overseeing this litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
• MDL No. 2570 – This MDL involves claims against Cook Medical, Inc. The Honorable Richard L. Young is overseeing this MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

The Driscoll Firm has been actively litigating these cases in the City of St. Louis and elsewhere. With our depth of knowledge and experience in these cases, we are well-positioned to protect your rights and interests if your defective IVC filter lawsuit becomes a part of wider, national litigation.

Get Help from Our Defective IVC Filter Lawyers Today

It is important to take legal action if you believe that you or someone close to you has suffered complications caused by a retrievable IVC filter. Contact The Driscoll Firm to discuss your case.

We have a long record of helping clients from across the country that have been harmed by defective medical devices. We can provide a free consultation about your case today.