IVC Filters and DVT: What You Need to Know

February 28, 2020 | IVC Filter

IVC filters can help patients when there is a risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), by preventing blood clots from traveling to the lungs, heart, or brain. However, they have also been associated with life-threatening injuries and numerous deaths. If you or someone you love has been harmed by an IVC filter, the manufacturer may be liable for any damages. Find out your IVC filter lawsuit options today, and call (713) 554-6780 for a free consultation.

What is an IVC Filter? 

Intravenous Vena Cava (IVC) Filters are small wire, cage-like structures, that are surgically placed in the inferior vena cava, which is a large blood vessel carrying blood from the lower body back to the heart. They are implanted in people who are at risk of developing blood clots or have been diagnosed with DVT. The purpose of these filters is to trap and break up any substantial blood clots that might have formed in the lower extremities of the body (most often in the legs or the pelvic region). 

There Have Been Complications 

IVC filters can be either permanent or temporary. In some cases, temporary filters are left in patients for far too long, causing serious problems and injuries. Numerous adverse incidents have been reported, including: 

• Device Migration: movement of the IVC filter from the site where it was implanted and intended to stay. 
• IVC Filter Fracturing: the filter becomes damaged, thereby losing the ability to properly catch clots. Also possibly resulting in:
  • Perforation: the filter pierces the blood vessel wall. 
  • Pulmonary Embolism: either the whole filter or parts that have broken off can move through the blood vessels and lodge in the lungs, thereby causing the situation they were intended to prevent, blood clots in the lungs. 
• Extreme difficulty surgically removing the IVC filter from the body.

The longer a temporary, or retrievable, IVC filter is inside a patient, the more likely he or she is to suffer debilitating side effects.

Signs of Serious Health Concerns 

Oftentimes, individuals are unaware when their IVC filter has become either dislodged from its original placement or when parts of it have broken off and have migrated. In such cases, you may experience: 

• Tachycardia (consistent rapid heart rate)
• Shortness of breath
• Sudden onset of coughing (may produce blood)
• Severe or persistent chest pain, including pleuritic chest pain (pain when inhaling or exhaling)
• Neck pain, confusion, lightheadedness, and or nausea

All patients implanted with an IVC Filter should be regularly monitored to ensure the device remains intact and functioning properly.

IVC Filter Lawsuits are Being Filed

Thousands of injury and wrongful death lawsuits against IVC manufacturers, including Cook Medical and C.R. Bard, have been filed throughout the U.S. Many have been consolidated into an MDL, for Cook Medical in the Southern District of Indiana and C.R. Bard in the District of Arizona. In addition, hundreds of other lawsuits and a number of class action lawsuits are being pursued. The following are a few of the recent and most notable case results: 

February 2019 (Indiana MDL)

Plaintiff awarded $3 million against Cook Medical. However, the judge ordered a new trial during post-trial proceedings in January 2020, due to an error in the admission of evidence during trial.

May 2019 (Arizona MDL)

Bard settled with the plaintiff before jury selection began for trial.

October 2019 (Philadelphia’s IVC filter mass tort program)

Plaintiff awarded more than $33 million in compensatory and punitive damages against Rex Medical.

Schedule a Free Consultation Today

If you or a loved one is experiencing complications as a result of an IVC filter, you may be eligible to pursue a lawsuit for damages. Call  (713) 554-6780 and discuss your legal options with a highly skilled mass tort lawyer at the Dunken Law Firm today.