Are IVC Blood Clot Filters Dangerous?
Every year, thousands of people are implanted with a device known as an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Inserted into a patient’s main vein in the body where blood returns to the heart from the lower body, the device is meant to help people recovering from accidents and surgeries by preventing potentially fatal blood clots. The metal wires in the device capture and prevent these blood clots from reaching the lungs.
While it has been a tremendous advance for medical science just like with many other medical devices, these filters can fail. According to an NBC News investigation, at least 27 deaths have been associated with Bard Recovery filters, a brand of IVC filters, over the course of a decade, as well as approximately 300 non-fatal issues. Other common defective filters include:
- Cook Celect filter
- Cook Gunther Tulip Filter
- Greenfield Vena Cava filter
- Bard G2 Express filter
- Bard G2 filter
As a result of these issues, the FDA has warned doctors about leaving IVC filters inside a patient for too long. The likelihood of a product defect or dangerous side effect grows the longer the IVC filter remains in the body. Defective IVC filters can cause some serious side effects, including:
- Punctured blood vessels
- Organ perforation
- Internal bleeding
- Deep vein thrombosis
Patients that are harmed by defective IVC filters often have to go undergo open heart surgery to correct any problems, while others have died from internal bleeding after a broken piece of the filter punctures a blood vessel or the heart.
If you or a loved one has been injured by an IVC filter, please contact our Houston IVC filter lawsuit lawyers at Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P. today. We will promptly review your case and talk to you about possible compensation for your medical bills, loss of wages and pain and suffering.
