What is considered an IVC filter bellwether trial is headed to court in March 2018. This is the first IVC filter bellwether trial that may set the tone for future lawsuits filed on behalf of injured plaintiffs who argue that the manufacturers of these IVC filters are responsible for the injuries sustained.
Thousands of IVC filter lawsuits were ultimately filed against C.R. Bard and were consolidated together. The tentative trial date for the IVC filter bellwether trial is March 13, 2018. The pre-trial conference is scheduled in late February. Cook Medical and C.R. Bard have been the subject of the vast majority of IVC filter lawsuits.
They are the two biggest manufacturers of IVC filters across the world, but more than 4,000 lawsuits have been filed against those companies alleging that the manufacturers misled consumers to believe that the IVC filters were safe.
When these devices originally came on the market, they were advertised as a safe way to decrease the risk of deadly blood clots. Many patients, however, found that serious injuries and side effects could help more than hurt. Many of these patients with severe side effects ultimately came forward to file a lawsuit in an effort to hold the manufacturers responsible.
A number of dangerous side effects associated with the use of IVC filter implantation began to appear in FDA adverse event reports. Many of the severe side effects caused further medical problems and led to significant damages and injuries, prompting these injured patients to come forward with defective medical device claims.
Some of the most common issues named by the plaintiffs in the IVC filter bellwether trial include allegations of organ perforations, filter migration, inferior vena cava punctures, embolization, and fracture.
The IVC filter bellwether trial and resulting lawsuits lodged against C.R. Bard and Cook argue that the manufacturers knew about the significant risks presented to patients with the use IVC filters but withheld this information from patients and the medical community.
IVC filters are devices that are placed in the human vena cava. The purpose of an IVC filter is to capture and trap a blood clot that is passing through the artery to prevent it from reaching the lungs.
More than 30,000 IVC filters have been used in patients in the last couple of decades. However, in 2010, the FDA revealed that they had received thousands of adverse event reports. At that point in time, the FDA issued a warning regarding the dangers of retrievable filter injuries.
If you or someone you know has been seriously hurt because of an IVC filter issue, consult with an experienced attorney at McDonald Worley today to learn more about your rights and next steps.