IVC Filter Lawsuits Grow with Two New East Coast Cases
The extensive list of complaints against Inferior Vena Cavity filters continued to swell last month, as two new cases were confirmed by plaintiffs in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. There are currently thousands of IVC filter lawsuits making their way through the country’s courts.
The location of these latest cases is unsurprising. The Northeast United States has become an especially problematic area for manufacturers of the filter, which is used to as a way to limit the possibility of patients developing blood clots after major surgery.
Unfortunately for some patients, the IVC filter can prove difficult to retrieve and/or harmful to internal organs after it has been implanted. Hence the growing number of lawsuits, which although centralized in Arizona and Illinois still count many East Coast residents among the plaintiffs.
Usage of IVC filters has dropped across the board since 2010 when the FDA issued a formal safety alert about the device.
The decrease is particularly sharp in areas like California and the states in the northeast, according to analysis reported by Medpage Today. Two separate studies introduced last month at the Society of Interventional Radiology in Washington D.C. confirm the declining use of the device, following more than two decades of relatively steady growth.
In the latest cases announced during March, manufacturers Rex Medical and Cook Medical face similar charges relating to their respective versions of IVC filters. Both are accused of selling defective equipment and understating the side-effects of their device, while Cook also faces charges of failure at the quality and testing phase of its Tulip development. In testing, a study observed that 91% of all Tulip filters retrieved after surgery had “tilted” to some degree. This is a safety issue that can result in decreased effectiveness at trapping blood clots – the filter’s primary job – and raised the likelihood of surgical complications and thrombosis
In testing, a study observed that 91% of all Tulip filters retrieved after surgery had “tilted” to some degree. This is a safety issue that can result in decreased effectiveness at trapping blood clots – the filter’s primary job – and raised the likelihood of surgical complications and thrombosis
All of these complaints will ring true with plaintiffs who have already filed IVC filter lawsuits, most of which allege some form of negligence or deception.
It the complications or allegations surrounding this device sound familiar to you, you might be entitled to take legal action. Complete the form below for a free case evaluation if you or a loved one believe you’ve been affected by a faulty medical device.
