IVC filters are devices implanted into a patient to prevent blood clotting to the heart, brain or lungs. They work by holding onto the clots in the bloodstream and then allowing them to break over time. These devices are mainly implanted in patients that cannot take blood-thinning medications or anticoagulants.
Complications
Complications have arisen for many people using these devices. Some of these complications are organ failure/damage, stroke, hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and sometimes death has occurred.
FDA (United States Food & Drug Administration) has issued two separate warnings regarding these devices for patients having a high risk of blood clots.
Perforation
The first one was in 2010. They advised that these devices may cause serious and life threating complication in a patient when left for too long. If a device is left for too long in a patient, it may cause the rise of more complications such as organ perforation by the filter, filter fractures perforating to other parts of the body, and perforation of the IVC vein.
Devices
They warned that the devices should be removed as soon as pulmonary embolism is purged from the patient. FDA in 2014 revised their earlier warning in that the devices should be removed from the 29th to 54th day after implantation. The greater the device remains in the patient; it becomes more difficult to remove and the greater the risk of injury increases.
Research
These complications have affected many patients who have filed lawsuits against the two manufacturers; Bard and Cook Medical. Lawyers argue that the manufacturers hid the results of their research.
The research had found the devices to be dangerous. Furthermore, C.R Bard forged an employee’s signature to get approval from FDA for its devices. Before the FDA gave the second warning regarding these devices, many lawsuits had already been filed.
Many of these lawsuits against the two manufacturers include negligence on their part of not giving enough information regarding the side effects of these devices. As of now many lawsuits are expected to arise due to these devices.
As much as there are many lawsuits already filed, Bard ivc settlements is yet to be achieved. However, many are expecting the trials to be concluded expeditiously resulting in compensations and settlement for the patients who have been affected and even those whose relatives have succumbed to death due to the use of these devices. IVC filter legal settlement includes monetary damages for; disability, lost remuneration, medical bills, pain and suffering of patients and relatives.