Feldman & Pinto’s Philadelphia drug injury lawyers are evaluating IVC blood clot filter injury cases from people who suffered dangerous side effects injuries from surgically implanted IVC Filters. “IVC Filter” is a shorthand term for Inferior Vena Cava Filter. The filters are medical devices inserted in the inferior vena cava region of patients’ hearts to prevent pulmonary embolisms and strokes caused by blood clots entering the lungs. C.R. Bard, Cook Medical, B. Braun, and others have manufactured IVC blood clot filters that can cause patients’ serious injuries and death.

Patients sustain these injuries when pieces of the metal filters break off and migrate to other parts of the body, including the:

  • heart
  • lungs
  • blood vessels
  • brain

Breakage of IVC Blood Clot Filters

The problem occurs when IVC Filters remain in recipients’ bodies for too long a time. A New England Society for Vascular Surgery study found that 31 percent of implanted IVC Filters break after a certain period of time.

A York Hospital study found that about a quarter of IVC Filters (implanted in the patients they studied) splintered. The splintered fragments then travelled to patients’ hearts, lungs, or blood vessels (hepatic veins). According to the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 40 percent of IVC filters will break within 5 ½ years of their insertion.

In 2010, the FDA received more than 900 reports of injuries to patients’ lungs and hearts from breakage of Bard IVC filters. The FDA released warnings in 2015 advising that:

  • IVC filter injuries begin to occur between 4 and 6 weeks after the devices are implanted
  • that the risks associated with IVC filters outweigh the benefits after this time period has passed
  • that the risks posed to a patient increase the longer an IVC filter remains in the patient’s body

The makers of IVC filters were aware of the risks of IVC filter injuries long before these FDA reports and warnings, however. Reports of serious IVC filter heart and lung injuries were sent to IVC manufacturers as early as 2004.

IVC Blood Clot Filter Injuries

IVC Filters have been linked to serious side effects / injuries, including:

  • heart attack (myocardial infarction)
  • stroke
  • perforation of the right atrium wall
  • cardiac tamponade and other blood flow problems
  • internal bleeding
  • nerve injury
  • infections
  • death

Cardiac Tamponade

Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening injury linked to IVC filter breakage and migration. This condition can occur when an IVC filter fragment penetrates the pericardium, a sac that surrounds the heart. The penetration causes a buildup of blood or other fluid between the pericardium (sac) and the heart. This leads to severely reduced heart function that can cause:

  • insufficient blood supply to vital organs and other parts of the body
  • shock
  • organ failure
  • death

IVC Blood Clot Filter Injury Lawsuits

IVC Filter Injury lawsuits brought against IVC filter makers allege that the manufacturers:

  • designed and produced an unreasonably dangerous medical device
  • knew or reasonably should have known of the increased risks of serious injury and death caused by IVC Filters
  • failed to warn doctors and consumers about these risks

In addition to filter manufacturers, doctors can also be liable for IVC filter injuries under certain circumstances. For example, a surgeon may be responsible for a patient’s IVC filter injuries caused by:

  • the surgeon’s negligent insertion of an IVC filter, or
  • the doctor’s negligent failure to timely remove an IVC filter

Feldman & Pinto’s Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys file claims against physicians who cause IVC Filter injuries through medical negligence.

Contact a Philadelphia IVC Blood Clot Filter Injury Lawyer

You may be entitled to financial damages if you sustained personal injuries from an IVC Filter. Please contact us to learn more about filing an IVC Filter injury lawsuit. Our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers can help you obtain the compensation and justice you deserve.

Note: It is common for IVC filters to be mistakenly referred to as “ICV Filter“, “ICV Blood Clot Filter“, “ICV blood device“, or “ICV injuries“. We have included these references to assist people searching for more information.