IVC Filter Injury Lawyers

Have you, or a loved one, suffered an injury due to an IVC Filter breaking and migrating through the body? If so, you, or the victims estate, may be entitled to benefits and financial compensation according to mass tort laws, personal injury laws and or wrongful death laws in the state where the surgery took place. Speaking with a mass tort injury lawyer handling IVC Filter lawsuits is a smart move on your part.

Please contact our team of New York IVC Filter injury lawyers for a free consultation. They not only offer free consultations but they charge no legal fees if they do not recover on your behalf. Proudly serving medical device injury victims across the country in all states including California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas, New York, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia.

An inferior vena cava filter, commonly referred to as an IVC Filter, is a type of vascular filter. It is a medical device that is implanted by a physician, usually an interventional radiologists or vascular surgeon into the inferior vena cava. The purpose behind the procedure is to prevent life-threatening pulmonary emboli (PEs). The effectiveness and safety of IVC Filter insertion is not well established, and in general, they are only indicated in very high-risk scenarios. They are by no means meant to replace medical (medication-based) management of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, in cases where patients are at high risk of developing a clinically significant PE and cannot be sufficiently anti-coagulated, placement of an IVC filter may be recommended.

To date, there has been only one randomized controlled trial completed on IVC filters. This study found that IVC filters reduced the incidence of PE but increased the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). All patients were on anticoagulation drugs during the study. Results from the PREPIC study and other studies which have shown many long-term complications of IVC filters led to the introduction of retrievable IVC filters. The first retrievable IVC filters were approved by FDA in 2003 and 2004.

In 2012, the American College of Chest Physicians recommended IVC filters for those with contraindications to anticoagulation who either have acute PE or acute proximal (above the knee) deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Why Do I Need to Get My IVC Filter Out?

The risk of death or serious bodily injury exists for people who suffer from blood clots in their legs or pelvic region. This type of condition is commonly referred to as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Popular medical devices, such as the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter, are used to help prevent clots from forming and traveling through the body. Clots that travel to the heart, brain, or lungs may cause serious damage and may even be fatal.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two Safety Communications regarding the removal of the device. The FDA recommends the device to be removed as soon as protection for pulmonary embolism is no longer needed.

FDA recommends that implanting physicians and clinicians responsible for the ongoing care of patients with retrievable IVC filters consider removing the filter as soon as protection from PE is no longer needed.

FDA encourages all physicians involved in the treatment and follow-up of IVC filter recipients to consider the risks and benefits of filter removal for each patient. If a patient has a retrievable IVC filter that should be removed based on his or her individual risk/benefit profile, the primary care physician and/or those providing ongoing patient care should refer the patient for IVC filter removal when feasible and clinically indicated.

IVCs are intended to be inserted temporarily into the body. When left in place for prolonged periods of time, the struts of the filters break loose and migrate to different parts of the body. Breakage within the body is life threatening. IVC filters can migrate from the deployed position to the heart or the pulmonary outflow tract. The device may be removed from the body depending on its location. If the device has migrated to the heart valves, right ventricle, or pulmonary outflow tract, it may be difficult to remove.

Common side effects that have been reported after the device has failed include the following:

Fracture or migration of the IVC filter
Perforation of the heart
Persistent chest pain
Difficulty breathing

So far numerous cases have already been filed against the makers of IVC filter devices. These lawsuits allege negligence in the design and manufacturing of the device. Further, studies demonstrate that the following IVC filters are prone to failure:

Bard’s G2 Express
Bard’s G2
Bard’s Recovery
Cook’s Gunther Tulip
Cook’s Celect/Select

If you, or a loved one, has sustained an injury or required further medical care as a result of having a Bard or Cook’s IVC filter, contact our Pennsylvania IVC Filter injury lawyers for a free consultation. You may be able to seek legal recourse in the form of a personal injury lawsuit claim against the manufacturer. Lawsuits have already been filed against Bard and other IVC device manufacturers across the country. All current Bard IVC lawsuits have been consolidated in a mass tort lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona (Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2641).

Benefits Awarded In An IVC Filter Lawsuit

Those who have been injured due to their IVF filter breaking off can seek a number of damages in an IVC filter lawsuit settlement or jury verdict that account for both economic as well as non-economic losses.

Monetary compensation may be awarded for:

Past and future medical expenses
Past and future loss of earnings
Physical and mental pain and suffering
Loss of future earning capacity
Therapy costs
Psychological counseling
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment of life

Regardless of what actual benefits and forms of compensation you are entitled to it is imperative that you retain an experienced IVC filter injury attorney. This is the only way to ensure that you get the full, fair and just compensation you deserve for your injuries, pain and suffering.

Contact Our IVC Filter Injury Lawyers

Our Texas IVC Filter injury attorneys are currently speaking with clients now who may have been harmed by IVC filters. Contact our San Diego IVC Filter injury lawyers today to learn more about your legal rights and how we can help you.

Alabama, Alaska, Alaska, Arkansas, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.