A new Cook IVC filter lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The legal complaint requests punitive damages as well as seeks to hold the manufacturers and associated subsidiaries responsible for injuries sustained after a patient received an Cook IVC filter. Unfortunately, this is not the first Cook IVC filter lawsuit in which a victim alleges severe injuries that will impact their life.
Various academic and medical studies have found that patients who underwent surgery to receive an IVC filter suffered high rates of adverse events. So many claims were filed that in 2014, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all the federal claims against Cook such that they are now handled in the southern district of Indiana. There are now more than 100 such cases pending and more affected patients come forward as time goes on.
Those patients at risk for developing pulmonary embolism are often given anticoagulants to thin their blood and reduce blood clot risks. The medications do have risks and may even be contraindicated in certain patients. For that reason, doctors might turn to inferior vena cava filters. These devices are spider-like and can capture blood clots before they reach the patient’s lungs and cause life-threatening problems. These filters are implanted in the large vein known as the inferior vena cava. This vein moves deoxygenated blood from the lower legs back towards the heart.
Cook IVC Filter Lawsuit Pinpoints Severe Injuries Affecting Patients
A high risk of adverse events are associated with the Cook IVC filters including fractures, tilting, perforation, migration and breakage. This Cook IVC filter lawsuit aims to hold the manufacturer responsible for recklessly, intentionally or negligently failing to provide patients and doctors about the known risk of using the IVC filter. Manufacturer Cook sells medical devices for a broad range of applications including surgical products and endovascular cardiology.
The Cook IVC filter was granted approval by the FDA under the section 510k portion of the medical device amendment, which allows medical devices to be approved and marketed if it is substantially similar to another legally marketed device.
This removes the traditional formal review process typically associated with medical devices. This new Cook IVC filter lawsuit alleges that in its intended operation, the IVC filter helps to prevent the development of serious blood clots.
These are retrievable filters that have four anchoring struts for fixation and eight secondary struts as well. These devices were marketed as an effective and safe treatment for the prevention of pulmonary embolism when placed in the vena cava.
According to the Cook IVC filter lawsuit, the defendants are responsible for failing to warn about the dangers associated with this device including the challenges associated with removal, migration, breakage and tilt.
If you or someone you know has developed problems caused by Cook IVC filters, you may have grounds to file a legal claim. The experienced attorneys at McDonald Worley offer a free case evaluation. Call today!