It has been reported that C.R. Bard continued to sell IVC filters even after blood clot filter problems resulted in at least 27 deaths and a host of other complications.
What is a Blood Clot Filter?
Many times, when patients are at a high risk for blood clots, they are not good candidates for blood thinners.. When this is the case, their physician may suggest an inferior vena cava filter. However, many patients also experience blood clot filter problems.
An IVC filter, or blood clot filter, is a small metal device shaped like a collapsible spider that is inserted into the the main vein of the body, the inferior vena cava. This is done to stop blood clots from traveling from the lower extremities of the body to the heart, lungs or brain.
If a blood clots gets to one of these vital organs, the result could be deadly.
It is estimated that 250,000 patients receive an inferior vena cava filter each year and many of these devices are made by C.R. Bard.
Bard May Have Known About Blood Clot Filter Problems
NBC News reports that medical device manufacturer C.R. Bard’s Recovery IVC filter series were replaced by Bard’s G2 series.
The Recovery series was taken off of the market, according to NBC, because of the high incidence of blood clot filter problems including device failure, migration, tilting and the perforation of organs or veins.
However, when Bard reintroduced a similar, but modified blood clot filter, their G2 series, they claimed the blood clot filter problems had been fixed.
Internal documents obtained by NBC found that Bard was concerned about reports of blood clot filter problems with their new G2 series within four months of beginning to sell it. From 2005, a confidential memo sheds light on a vice president from Bard being having concerns about filter migration and tilting.
Another document, this one from 2010, showed that Bard had data regarding the fact that the G2 filters had more device failures, fractures, and blood clot filter problems than other IVC filters on the market.
Many believe that Bard should have recalled their device. But Bard continued to sell the G2 series of inferior vena cava filters for the next five years, until 2010. Now, at least 12 deaths have been connected with the Bard G2 series of IVC filters, according to reports.
In both 2010 and 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued safety announcements that doctors should remove blood clot filters as soon as they are no longer needed.
Dr. William Kuo, an interventional radiologist at Stanford’s IVC Filter Clinic, told NBC that he won’t implant the G2 blood clot filter from Bard any longer. He said, “All of the data that we’ve seen in our own studies, as well as other clinician researchers’, is that this device consistently fractures, consistently causes major complications.”
Dr. Kuo estimated that he has removed about 1,000 failed IVC filters in the last decade. Most of the filters that he removes are manufactured by Bard.
If you’ve suffered from blood clot filter problems, contact the attorneys at McDonald Worley for a FREE case evaluation. An experienced IVC filter attorney can help you determine the best litigation approach to seek compensation for pain and suffering caused by blood clot filter side effects.