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IVC Filter Lawsuits are being Filed to Help Cover Medical Costs, Other Expenses for Patients with Defective Devices

IVC Filter Lawsuits Latest News

IVC Filter Lawsuits are being Filed to Help Cover Medical Costs, Other Expenses for Patients with Defective Devices

An IVC filter is a medical device designed to be inserted into the inferior vena cava, an integral part of the cardiovascular system that carries blood from the lower body to the heart.

When blood clots put people at risk for pulmonary embolism or stroke, in many cases an inferior vena cava filter is inserted into the inferior vena cava in an attempt to catch any migrating blood clots and to prevent any blood clots from reaching the lung.

Monroe Law Group – NO FEES UNLESS YOU WIN You pay nothing until you win your case. Monroe Law Group pays for all costs of the lawsuit up front, and if don’t win, you pay nothing! If we win, you pay a percentage of the awarded settlement. Call us now at 866-308-1092 or email us at intake@monroelawgroup.com for your free no obligation case evaluation.

Pulmonary embolus (PE) remains the leading cause of preventable mortality in surgical patients and the third leading cause of death in hospitalized trauma patients. This has contributed to the 4-fold rise in use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters following Food and Drug Administration approval of the first retrievable (or optional) IVC filter in 2003.

Why File an IVC Filter Lawsuit // Monroe Law Group

What are some of the complications associated with IVC filters?

Although IVC filters are efficient at preventing PE, they are associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis, and other complications including failure to retrieve the devices within the recommended period of time making removal dangerous and the odds of other complications much higher.

  • Device is not removed with recommended time period
  • Device becomes dangerous or impossible to retrieve
  • Perforation of the vena cava or blood vessels
  • Migration of the filter to other parts of the body
  • Filter fracture
  • Filter embolization
  • Wrongful death

Why is IVC filter retrieval becoming such a serious concern?

Filter retrieval rates remain less than 50%, with many reports citing an incidence less than 15%. Some reasons for failure of retrieval are related to prolonged indwelling time with associated potential for complications and medical comorbidities, which may also increase the risk of the procedure and/or increase mortality in cases of subsequent PE. However, one of the primary reasons the devices are not being removed is refusal on the part of many physicians. Even though the FDA has recommended the devices be removed, many physicians have deemed it to dangerous to attempt.

According to the Journal of Vascular Surgery, “For patients with retrievable IVC filters in whom
the transient risk of PE has passed, quantitative decision analysis suggests the benefit/risk profile begins to favor filter removal between 29 and 54 days after implantation.”

What does this mean?

To put it simply, any patient that is given a IVC filter as a protective measure against temporary risk for pulmonary embolism and blood clots, essentially anyone that is not at permanent risk for blood clots, should have these devices removed at the most 54 days after their implant. Unfortunately, the majority of these devices that were implanted in patients were not removed and this has created a serious problem. After this 29-54 day window, the devices often become extremely difficult if not impossible to remove safely. In fact, there are a limited number of doctors that are willing to perform these procedures due to the risk associated with the removal. And many patients that wish

A study appearing in April 2013 in JAMA: Internal Medicine suggested that actual retrieval of devices designed to be retrieved occurs in fewer than 15 percent of IVC filter patients.

Unfortunately, many IVC filter recipients have experienced complications with their IVC filters. These complications range from migration of the IVC filter itself, when the spider-like arms intended to catch the blood clots and hold the filter in place ending up failing and the filter is free to move to other areas sometimes piercing veins or other organs such as the lungs or heart.

In some cases the resting place is the heart itself. At other times, the IVC filter has become embedded into the body in ways that it becomes dangerous to impossible for doctors to safely retrieve.

The FDA recently released an alert to physicians who implant inferior vena cava (IVC) filters and clinicians responsible for the ongoing care of patients with these devices recommending that they should remove the devices within a specified period of time to protect against them having complications and keeping removal manageable.

FDA Alert – Removing Retrievable Inferior Vena Cava Filters: FDA Safety Communication

The FDA has received reports of adverse events and product problems associated with IVC filters. Types of reports include device migration, filter fracture, embolization (movement of the entire filter or fracture fragments to the heart or lungs), perforation of the IVC, and difficulty removing the device. Some of these events led to adverse clinical outcomes. These types of events may be related to how long the filter has been implanted. Other known long-term risks associated with IVC filters include lower limb deep vein thrombosis and IVC occlusion. For patients with retrievable filters, some complications may be avoided if the filter can be removed once the risk of pulmonary embolism has subsided. The FDA is concerned that retrievable IVC filters, when placed for a short-term risk of pulmonary embolism, are not always removed once the risk subsides.

Some of the most widely-used IVC filter models include

  • C.R. Bard Recovery
  • C.R. Bard G2 and G2 Express
  • C.R. Bard Eclipse
  • C.R. Bard Meridian
  • Cook Medical Celect
  • Cook Medical Gunther Tulip

Contact Monroe Law Group for assistance with your IVC filter case today

IVC filter lawsuits brought against C.R. Bard and other makers of potentially dangerous blood clot filters allege that the manufacturing companies knew or should have known about the risk of IVC filter side effects, yet failed to provide adequate warnings about this risk to consumers and the medical community. Firms nationwide including Monroe Law Group are accepting IVC Filter cases. If you believe you have been harmed by side effects of a blood clot filter like the Bard Recovery or Bard G2 filter, consult the Monroe Law Group today for legal help. With a qualified IVC filter attorney on your side, you can ensure that your legal rights are protected and seek fair and timely reimbursement for your losses.

Alert: Due to statute of limitations, the time you have to pursue an IVC filter claim is limited. Call us right away at 866-308-1092, email us at intake@monroelawgroup.com, or complete the form on this page now.

IVC Filters are implanted to reduce blood clot risk, but are associated with serious complications: tissue damage, device breakage or migration, and embolism/DVT. // Monroe Law Group

Symptoms and Complications of Retrievable IVC Filters

In the midst of growing concerns about the alleged risk of complications from inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, which are designed to reduce the risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, a new study warns that retrievable IVC filters may actually increase the risk of blood clots and deep vein thrombosis when they are left in place for an extended period of time. Hundreds of IVC filter lawsuits have already been brought against C.R. Bard, Cook Medical, and other manufacturers of retrievable blood clot filters for injuries to patients, and as researchers continue to investigate the potential risks of IVC filters, it is ultimately expected that several thousand product liability lawsuits will be filed against IVC filter manufacturing companies.

Monroe Law Group – NO FEES UNLESS YOU WIN You pay nothing until you win your case. Monroe Law Group pays for all costs of the lawsuit up front, and if don’t win, you pay nothing! If we win, you pay a percentage of the awarded settlement. Call us now at 866-308-1092 or email us at intake@monroelawgroup.com for your free no obligation case evaluation.

What are Retrievable IVC Filters?

IVC filters are cage-like devices implanted in the inferior vena cava to capture and trap blood clots that may break free within the body, preventing them from traveling to the heart and lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism or other serious complications. In recent years, new designs have been developed that allow the filter to be removed from the inferior vena cava once the risk of pulmonary embolism has subsided. However, IVC filter side effects have been tied to thousands of serious and sometimes fatal injuries occurring when the filter migrated out of position, punctured the vein, or embolized to the heart or lungs, and many of these problems have been attributed to the issue of the filters being left in place for long periods of time.

FDA Warnings for IVC Filter Recipients

In light of growing concerns about possible IVC filter complications, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued several warnings regarding the potential risks of IVC filters, including a 2010 safety announcement, which highlighted 921 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA in connection with the filters from 2005 to 2010. In 2014, the FDA updated its safety alert, indicating that “implanting physicians and clinicians responsible for the ongoing care of patients with retrievable IVC filters [should] consider removing the filter as soon as protection from pulmonary embolism is no longer needed,” preferably within 29 to 54 days after implantation.

Possible Side Effects of Removable IVC Filters

According to a growing body of research, retrievable IVC filters may be associated with an increased risk of serious complications in patients, including a risk of filter migration, perforation of the inferior vena cava, filter fracture, and filter embolization. Studies have also found that retrievable IVC filters may actually increase the risk of blood clots and deep vein thrombosis, the very conditions they are designed to prevent. In this latest study, published this month in the medical journal JACC Cardiovascular Interventions, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York indicate that unretrieved IVC filter thrombosis may account for 2.6% to 4% of all cases of deep vein thrombosis in patients implanted with blood clot filters.

Removable IVC filters have become increasingly more popular over the past decade, for use among patients at risk for pulmonary embolism who are unable to take anticoagulant medications, and the researchers involved in this study concluded that, “due to the substantial increase in the number of IVC filters placed in the United States and the very low filter retrieval rates, clinicians are faced with a very large population of patients at risk for developing IVC thrombosis.” Unfortunately, the makers of retrievable IVC filters have been accused of failing to issue adequate warnings about the importance of removing the devices to reduce the risk of complications, which may become more likely the longer the filter remains in place.

IVC Filter Complications are a Growing Concern

According to the researchers involved in the JACC study, patients who have untreated IVC filter blood clots face a 90% chance of suffering post-thrombotic syndrome if the blood clot filter is not removed, a 45% chance of experiencing disabling venous claudication, a 30% chance of suffering a pulmonary embolism, and a 15% chance of a venous ulceration. In an editorial accompanying the study, Dr. Michael R. Jaff of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston writes, “Of tremendous importance is [the researchers’] recognition that the most common cause of this challenging disorder is thrombosis of previously deployed IVC filters.” He also warns that, “With the rapid expansion in placement of IVC filters, particularly in the United States, we can expect this problem to actually increase.”