Feldman & Pinto’s Philadelphia IVC Filter Wrongful Death Attorneys / Lawyers are evaluating cases from people whose family members died from IVC Blood Clot Filter injuries. IVC stands for inferior vena cava. The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries blood from the lower and middle parts of the body to the right atrium of the heart.
IVC Filters are tiny metallic medical devices that surgeons insert in a patient’s IVC vein to keep blood clots from entering the lungs. Other terms for IVC filters include:
- IVC blood clot filters
- Blood clot filters
- IVC blood devices
- Inferior vena cava filters
Physicians use IVC Filters for patients who are in danger of developing pulmonary embolisms (lung blood clots) but who cannot take blood thinners to prevent the clots. They also use them for patients who have had no success with blood thinners (anti-coagulants).
Despite having been designed to save patients’ lives, IVC Blood Clot Filters often cause life-threatening injuries or death. Philadelphia IVC Filter Wrongful Death Attorneys / Lawyers file legal actions against manufacturers of IVC Filters that have caused patients’ wrongful deaths.
Defective and Deadly IVC Filters
IVC Blood Clot Filters come in both permanent and non-permanent (temporary) forms. Nonpermanent IVC Filters are removable (retrievable) and are the type of IVC Blood Clot Filter most likely to cause injury resulting in death.
These injuries most often result when an IVC Filter breaks or splinters and travels through the IVC vein to other parts of the patient’s body, such as the:
- heart
- lungs, or
- brain
If the splintered metal from an IVC Filter pierces a vital organ, it may ultimately cause the patient’s death. IVC Filters that dislodge from their original position without breaking can cause the same fatal injuries.
The risk of these complications increases the longer an IVC Filter remains in a patient. The FDA advised physicians, on August 9, 2010, to remove retrievable IVC Filters as soon as patients are no longer in danger of suffering a pulmonary embolism. In May 2014, the FDA:
- advised the removal of temporary IVC Filters within 29 to 54 days after insertion, and
- stated that the longer an IVC Blood Clot Filter stays in a patient’s body, the greater the risk of serious injury (including death)
An IVC Blood Clot Filter can also lead to a patient’s death by causing a blood clot to form in the location in which the IVC Filter was inserted. According to an April 2015 article in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), a study showed that patients who receive IVC Blood Clot Filters are even more likely to suffer pulmonary embolisms than patients who use blood thinners. The ineffectiveness of IVC Filters thus increases rather than lowers the risk of death from pulmonary embolisms.
IVC Blood Clot Filter Wrongful Death Cases
Philadelphia IVC Filter Wrongful Death Attorneys / Lawyers seek compensation from filter manufacturers for damages suffered by families of people who died from IVC Filter complications. Pennsylvania’s wrongful death law may allow recovery of damages by a victim’s:
- spouse
- children
- parents
IVC Blood Clot Filter manufacturers that may be liable for such wrongful death damages include:
- Bard
- Cook
- Johnson & Johnson
- ALN
- Rex Medical
- Rafael Medical
- B. Braun Medical
- Boston Scientific
C.R. Bard, in particular, manufactured IVC Filters linked to 27 deaths, according to a December 2015 NBC News report.
Lawsuits commenced against IVC Filter manufacturers allege that the companies:
- designed, made, and sold defective IVC Filters
- were aware of the risks of serious injury and death from IVC Filters
- failed to warn the public and physicians about these risks
See Philadelphia Blood Clot IVC Filter Injury Lawyers for more information about IVC Filter injuries and IVC Filter Lawsuits.
Contact our Philadelphia IVC Filter Wrongful Death Attorneys
You may be entitled to compensation if one of your family members died after insertion of an IVC Blood Clot Filter. Our Philadelphia IVC Filter Wrongful Death Attorneys / Lawyers will evaluate your case, free of charge. Contact us today to learn more about your legal options.