A total of 3,769 blood clot filter lawsuits have been filed against Cook Medical, Inc. and C.R. Bard, Inc. alleging that the retrievable IVC filters manufactured by the companies have caused plaintiffs to suffer from severe complications.
Two IVC filters are named in the Cook Medical litigation: the Gunther Tulip and Cook Celect IVC blood clot filter. There are at least 1,918 lawsuits pending alleging these IVC filter models from Cook suffer from various defects. These lawsuits are currently part of a multidistrict litigation in Indiana federal court under U.S. District Chief Judge Richard L. Young.
The models involved in the IVC filter litigation against Bard include the Recovery, Denali, G2 and Meridian models, making up at least 1,851 lawsuit claims. The Bard lawsuits are part of the multidistrict litigation in Arizona federal court under U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell.
In the multidistrict litigation, or MDL, established for each IVC filter manufacturer, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation decided to consolidate the lawsuits under a single judge in a single federal court in order to conserve time and resources. The pre-trial discovery takes place during the multidistrict litigation while it is centralized, and several test cases, known as bellwether lawsuits, go before a jury to give an indication of how future litigation may proceed.
A multidistrict litigation is established to serve for the convenience of parties and also helps to reduce the likelihood of conflicting rulings being issued from different courts.
What is an IVC Filter?
An IVC filter, or inferior vena cava filter, is a small medical device that is surgically placed in a patient’s vena cava, the body’s largest vein bringing blood from the lower extremities back to the heart. For patients who are prone to blood clots and who cannot take oral anticoagulants, IVC filters can help to essentially “trap” a blood clot before it is able to travel to the heart or lungs where it can do damage.
Once the blood clot is trapped by the IVC filter, which has fingerlike projections to catch the blood clots in the vein, the body’s natural mechanisms help dissolve the clot so it is no longer a problem.
If a blood clot reaches the heart, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.. Blood clots that reach the lungs may cause a pulmonary embolism. All of these conditions caused by blood clots can have serious consequences and may even be fatal, so an IVC filter can be a life-saving device for certain individuals.
Complications Alleged in Blood Clot Filter Lawsuits
Patients who have gone on to file blood clot filter lawsuits state that a number of potential complications are possible, such as the filter fracturing and migrating to other parts of the body, the filters can tilt, rendering them less effective or even useless, and filters have been known to perforate organs and blood vessels.
The lawsuits allege that the manufacturers defectively designed, defectively manufactured or defectively marketed the devices by failing to warn consumers of the potential problems associated with the device’s use.
Filing Blood Clot Filter Lawsuits
Patients who have been injured following the implantation of an IVC filter may be eligible to file blood clot filter lawsuits against the product Manufacturers.
The product liability attorneys at McDonald Worley can help potential plaintiffs learn more about their legal options by offering free case consultations to discuss their eligibility and options for taking legal action. Learn more by filling out the form on this page.