IVC Filter Lawyer – How to File an IVC Lawsuit

Did you or a family member develop complications after being implanted with an IVC filter? If so, you are not alone. Across the county, lawsuits are being filed as the result of IVC filters migrating to other parts of the body,  causing punctured organs and punctured blood vessels. If this happened you or a family member, there’s a good chance you have a good case against C.R. Bard and Cook Medical. If so, you may need the help of an IVC lawyer who has experience handling these cases.

Get Help from an IVC Filter Lawyer

If you would like a free, no obligation consultation regarding an inferior vena cava filter (IVC), simply fill out the free case evaluation form and we will help to connect you with some of the very best IVC filter lawsuit lawyers in the country. No matter what city or state you are in, we can find an IVC filter lawyer who knows exactly what is going on with the lawsuits and can provide you with the information you need.

Why are IVC Lawsuits Being Filed

How to Find the Right IVC Lawyer

Choosing an IVC filter attorney is an important decision to and you need to know how to choose the right attorney. There are many law firms claiming to handle IVC lawsuits so these tips will help you choose the right one.

1. Choose an IVC lawyer with experience handling product liability cases – Not all lawyers are the same and many handle a wide variety of areas of law. It’s important to choose a law firm that has handled other dangerous product cases.
2. Find out if they will handle the case themselves or refer your case out – Many times lawyers will refer your case out to another law firm and they get paid a percentage of the amount recovered. While that’s normal, it’s not always in your best interest unless they are referring your case to the very best IVC filter lawyers.
3. Look at the firms past history of results – If a law firm does not showcase their verdicts and settlements on their website, they may not have impressive case results. If they do display past results, make sure you look and see if they have any case results specifically related to dangerous products or product liability cases such as with IVC filters.

 

The FDA has warned about this device for years as the result of receiving hundreds of adverse events reported in regards to the IVC filter. On May 6, 2014 the FDA addressed physicians and clinicians with an update to their information on IVC filters by saying that if the patient’s risk for pulmonary embolism (a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot) has passed, their recommendation is to remove the IVC filter between 29 and 54 days after it was originally implanted.  Interventional radiology, interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, trauma care, bariatric surgery, orthopedic surgery and primary care physicians were the target of this alert. Thousands of adverse events have been reported to the FDA, including life threatening hospitalizations and deaths.

Various IVC lawsuits that have already been filed claim a variety of things including:

• negligence
• failure to warn of the dangers of the device
• manufacturing defects
• breach of implied warranty
• negligent misrepresentation

Examples of Adverse Events Reported to the FDA

Device: G2 Filter System by Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.

Adverse Event Report: 

It was reported that the patient presented two years post filter implant with shortness of breath and CT scans demonstrated one filter limb appeared to be fractured and was extending into the renal vein. Bilateral pulmonary emboli were observed in the upper and lower lobes of both lungs as well as the right middle lobe. Cavagrams demonstrated that the IVC was 80% occluded with clot at the level of the filter. Several days later, a thrombectomy procedure was performed with an angiojet device; however, this was unsuccessful in relieving the clot burden. Attempts to retrieve the filter were not performed. The patient was placed on heparin and is currently in the ICU.

 

Device: Bard G2 Express Filter

Adverse Event Report: 

Patient presented for IVC filter removal. The device was placed at an outside hospital and reportedly, one failed removal attempt was made at that facility. Prior to removal attempt, spot film imaging of the filter showed it to be fractured. The filter was removed intact except for a leg foot process and half of a filter leg. Attempts made at retrieving the fractured pieces were unsuccessful.

 

Device: Bard IVC Filter

Adverse Event Report: 

An autopsy for death due to multi-system failure, cardiomyopathy and related to consolidation, a piece of the IVC filter placed in 2004 was found broken off and lodged in the pulmonary artery.

 

Device: Bard Recovery Filter

Adverse Event Report: 

Patient complained of shortness of breath. Found 2 arms of IVC filter embolized. Both have gone to the lungs. One is in the left lung and one is in the right lung.

 

Device: G2 Filter System by Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.

Adverse Event Report: 

It was reported that some time after implantation of a vena cava filter perforation of the IVC was discovered. Allegedly, surgical intervention was performed. The filter remains in the patient.

 

Device: Bard Recovery Filter

Adverse Event Report: 

Contacted by medical examiner related to patient discharge from hospital. Patient had IVC filter placed after developing deep vein thrombosis prior to discharge. Patient’s initial results of post mortem reveals IVC filter in right ventricle causing perforation. Medical examiner reported patient had fatal complication of filter, caught large burden of clot, dislodged and perforated right ventricle.

 

Device: Cook Celect Filter

Adverse Event Report:

Constant chronic pain in back and abdomen appearing as pain from renal or gallstones but none ever detected. It was noted that a wire from Cook Celect IVC filter was protruding into aorta, but nothing noted as to wires into other areas. Spine and abdomen area wires were detected at another medical facility but was hastily discharged. I have been informed that the attempted removal can cause death or more serious disabilities. Not having the IVC filter removed will have a catastrophic outcome. One day to 5 years.

 

Device: Cook Gunther Tulip Vena Cava Filter

Adverse Event Report:

Unexpected death, outpatient for IVC filter removal. Patient was worked up and moved into room 2 for the removal. She was prepped and medicated according to ir guidelines. The filter was removed successfully by the M.D. He asked the patient if she would like to keep the filter to show to her family and she responded, no. The M.D. asked her if he could show it to her family and she did not respond. We tried to arouse her and get a response, then immediately called a code while we began CPR. Suspect large embolus possibly inside filter.

Products being Named in IVC Lawsuits

• Bard Recovery filter
• Bard G2 filter
• Bard G2 Express filter
• Cook Gunther Tulip vena cava filter
• Cook Celect  vena cava filter

There are thousands of adverse events reports on file with the FDA like the actual examples shown above. C.R. Bard and Cook Medical have a responsibility to properly warn people about the dangers of the IVC filters as well as to produce a safe product. Based upon the reports and evidence that has been found, that is not the case.

Bard Recovery and G2 Filter Problems

In a study on the Bard Recovery and G2 filters that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 16% of the patients in the study had at least 1 strut fracture. A strut fracture is where one of the IVC filters legs break off. The issue of course is the dangers of these broken legs of the device.  In 25% of the cases in the study, at least one of the legs in the Bard IVC filters broke off and travelled to other parts of the body outside of where they were originally implanted. In 71% of these cases, patients had at least 1 piece of the broken filter move to the heart. Three patients nearly died after experiencing symptoms of increased heart rate and/or tamponade. One of the patients in the study actually died as the result of the IVC filter strut fracture that moved to the heart.

Conclusion The Bard Recovery and Bard G2 filters are life threatening and are dangerous. 

Get a free IVC Filter Consultation with an Attorney

Finding the right lawyer can be difficult but i-lawsuit.com has done the hard work and found some of the very best defective and dangerous product attorneys in the country. No matter if you are in California, Texas or New York we can help. Contact us today and let us know how we can help.

If you had your procedure done at any of the following hospitals (or even if it’s not listed below) please contact us today.

1. New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center (New York City)

2. Florida Hospital Orlando

3. Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami)

4. Methodist Hospital (San Antonio)

5. UPMC Presbyterian (Pittsburgh)

6. Yale-New Haven (Connecticut) Hospital

7. Orlando (Fla.) Regional Medical Center

8. Montefiore Hospital-Moses Campus (Bronx, New York)

9. Baptist Medical Center (San Antonio)

10. Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis)

11. Methodist University Hospital (Memphis, Tennessee)

12. Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)

13. Norton Hospital (Louisville, Kentucky)

14. The Cleveland Clinic

15. The Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York City, New York)

16. Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital (Houston, Texas)

17. Buffalo (N.Y.) General Hospital (New York)

18. UAB Hospital (Birmingham, Alabama)

19. North Shore University Hospital (Manhasset, N.Y.)

20. Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak (Michigan)

21. Christiana Hospital (Newark, Delaware)

22. Memorial Regional Hospital (Hollywood, Florida)

23. Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center (New York City)

24. Saint Joseph’s Hospital (Tampa, Florida)

25. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)

26. Butterworth Hospital (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

27. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, Ohio)

27. The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland)

28. Vanderbilt University Hospital (Nashville, Tennessee)

29. Tampa General Hospital (Tampa, Florida)

30. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

31. Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

32. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

33. Mercy Hospital St. Louis (Missouri)

34. Long Island Jewish Medical Center (New Hyde Park, N.Y.)

35. The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (Greensboro, N.C.)

36. Aurora Saint Luke’s Medical Center (Milwaukee)

37. Bellevue Hospital Center (New York City)

38. Mount Sinai St. Luke’s (New York City)

39. Houston Methodist Hospital (Houston, Texas)

40. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, California)

40. Jewish Hospital (Louisville, Kentucky)

41. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

42. Charlton Memorial Hospital (Fall River, Massachusetts)

43. Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Mary’s (Rochester, Minnesota)

44. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (Houston, Texas)

44. UF Health Shands at the University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)

45. Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego, California)

46. Huntsville Hospital (Alabama)

46. Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, Virginia)

47. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas (Texas)

48. Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

49. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville (Florida)

49. Hartford Hospital (Connecticut)

50. Vidant Medical Center (Greenville, North Carolina)

51. Loma Linda University Medical Center – Inland Empire (California)

52. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

53. Lakeland Regional Medical Center (Florida)

54. Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

55. Lee Memorial Hospital (Fort Meyers, Florida)

56. Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital (West Virginia)

57. Miami Valley Hospital (Dayton, Ohio)

57. Parkland Hospital (Dallas, Texas)

58. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis (Tennessee)

59. Duke University Hospital (Durham, N.C.)

60. Edinburg Regional Medical Center (Texas)

61. Greenville (S.C.) Memorial Hospital (South Carolina)

62. Mercy Hospital Springfield (Montana)

63. Saint Francis Hospital (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

64. Presbyterian Hospital (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

65. University of North Carolina Hospitals (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

66. Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno, CA)

67. CJW Medical Center-Chippenham Campus (Richmond, Virginia)

68. North Shore Medical Center (Miami, FL)

68. Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, N.Y.)

69. Saint Vincent Indianapolis Hospital (Indiana)

70. CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi (Texas)-Memorial

71. Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts)

72. Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit, MI)

73. Medstar Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center

74. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

75. Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus, Ohio)

76. Sutter Memorial Hospital (Sacramento, California)

77. Saint John’s Medical Center (Jackson, Wyoming)

78. Ochsner Medical Center-New Orleans (Louisiana)

78. Via Christi Hospital on Saint Francis (Witchita, Kansas)

79. Ben Taub General Hospital (Houston, Texas)

80. Willis-Knighton Medical Center (Shreveport, Louisiana)

81. Carilion Roanoke (Va.) Memorial Hospital (Virginia)

81. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (Baton Rouge, La.)

82. Saint John Hospital and Medical Center (Detroit, Michigan)

83. Henrico Doctor’s Hospital (Richmond, Virginia)

83. VCU Medical Center (Richmond, Virginia)

84. Mission Hospitals-Memorial Campus (Asheville, N.C.)

85. New Hanover Regional Medical Center (Wilmington, N.C.)

86. Medical University of South Carolina-University Hospital (Charleston)

87. University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital (Lexington, Kentucky)

88. NCH Downtown Naples Hospital (Florida)

89. Upstate University Hospital (Syracuse, N.Y.)

90. Maimonides Medical Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

90. University Hospital of Brooklyn (N.Y.)

91. Mount Carmel West (Columbus, Ohio)

91. Temple University Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.)

92. ProMedica Toledo Hospital (Ohio)

93. Rhode Island Hospital (Providence, Rhode Island)

94. Cox North (Springfield, Missouri)

95. Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (Arkansas)

96. CHI Saint Luke’s Health-Baylor Saint Luke’s Medical Center (Houston, Texas)

96. The Reading Hospital and Medical Center (West Reading, Pennsylvania)

96. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (Iowa City, Iowa)

97. Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center (New Jersey)

97. Saint Anthony’s Medical Center (St. Louis, Missouri)

98. Oklahoma University Medical Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

99. Mobile Infirmary Medical Center (Alabama)

100. University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, Maryland)

IVC lawsuit consultations are always free. We can help you find the best IVC lawyer in your area so contact us today.