Tennessee Injury Lawyer Blog
There are many medical devices and products on the market that are used to reduce medical complications for people and to help improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, sometimes these devices or products can have defects and cause additional complications or medical problems for many people. If you or someone you know had an IVC Filter implanted and are now experiencing serious side effects or more medical problems as a result, then it is important that you speak to a IVC Filter and dangerous device lawyer with the Higgins Firm. We will listen to your case and determine if you may be eligible for compensation for what you have been through.
IVC Filters are implanted in people who have problems with blood clots. They are used to trap the clots in order to help prevent them from becoming pulmonary emboli. When they were originally marketed, they were permanent implants. However, over the last ten years, they were redesigned so that they could be retrievable, which means that the doctor could implant them and take them out at a later date. These retrievable filters were marketed first in 2003. One of the makers of these filters that is now facing lawsuits is C.R. Bard, maker of the Recovery, G2 Filter and Eclipse; and Cook, which makes the Celect and the Gunther Tulip.
According to a study from the Journal of Vascular Interventional Radiology, after five and a half years, forty percent of people who have a retrievable filter have experienced some type of fracture in the filter. Other side effects could include the filter moving, titling or perforating and these side effects can cause perforation of organs or vessels next to the filter. A fracture in the filter could travel to the patient’s heart, which can result in death of the patient or the need for open heart surgery to remove the fractured filter. Another study in the JAMA Internal Medicine discovered that many retrievable filters are actually left implanted permanently . That study discovered that of six hundred and seventy-nine retrievable filters implanted from August 1, 2003 to February 28, 2011, at Boston Medical Center, only fifty-eight were s removed with success and seventy-four people suffered a thrombotic event after filter placement.
The first death that was caused by a retrievable C.R. Bard Recovery filter occurred on February 9, 2004. Since then and until the redesigned G2 came out in September of 2005, an estimated fifteen deaths were associated with the Recovery filter. On August 9th of 2010, the Food and Drug Administration warned that from 2005 to the time of the warning, they received nine hundred and twenty-one adverse event reports involving IVC filters.
Since many people still have the filters implanted and because it can take a few years for fracture to develop, many people are still experiencing dangerous and life-threatening side effects due to the filters and lawsuits against the company who makes these filters are being filed. If you or someone you care about has had one of these filters implanted and has experienced side effects such as fracture, the moving of the implant to organs such as the heart or lungs, or has died because of complications with the filter, then it is advised that you contact one of our caring and experienced Tennessee IVC Filter lawyers at the Higgins Firm. We understand that this process may be very difficult for you and your family. We will answer any concerns you may have and see to it that you receive any compensation you may be entitled to for what you have suffered. We will also make sure the company responsible is held accountable for their actions.
You can contact us online or by calling 800.705.2121 to discuss your case and any questions you might have.
