Atlanta IVC Filter Injury Lawyer

Retrievable Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters are medical devices that capture blood clots before they enter the lungs, where they can cause serious problems or fatalities. However, the makers of these devices are now facing lawsuits. Many patients allege that faulty IVC filters migrated to other parts of the body, causing wrongful death or severe injury. The suits claim that manufacturers of the faulty devices were aware of the risks and failed to appropriately notify the public. If you or a loved one has suffered injury due to the placement of a faulty IVC filter, you should consider speaking with an Atlanta IVC filter injury lawyer as you may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer.

When your doctor implants a medical device to improve your health and safety, it can be frightening and frustrating to learn about potential issues with that device. This is especially true if the companies that manufactured and distributed these medical devices knew about the risks and hazards to public health and didn’t make that information known by providing proper warnings to doctors, nurses, and patients.

IVC Filter Manufacturer Negligence

IVC filter manufacturers, including Cook and Bard, are facing lawsuits that allege they were negligent in the production and distribution of faulty IVC filters. Medical professionals use these filters for patients who are at risk for a pulmonary embolism or blood clot.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first issued a warning to doctors about the risks associated with IVC filters in August of 2010. At that time, the FDA advised that once a patient was past the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism, doctors should remove the IVC filter device, as there are health concerns growing about the potential risks of the device itself.

A study by the Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA) released in 2015 found that IVC filters were not as effective as blood thinning medication in preventing pulmonary embolism. In fact, patients who had an IVC filter rather than taking anticoagulants were twice as likely to experience a pulmonary embolism.

Since 2010, the FDA has received hundreds of reports of injuries from faulty IVC filters. Lawsuits against IVC filter manufacturers Cook and Bard allege that the manufacturers were fully aware of the dangers of these devices, as well as the fact that they were not as effective as blood thinning medications in preventing pulmonary embolism. Despite this information, the lawsuits go on to allege that Cook and Bard continued to market the devices to doctors and patients as a viable method of preventing pulmonary embolism.

Problems and Injuries from Faulty IVC Filters

The main issue surrounding the faulty IVC filters made by Cook and Bard is that they can break off from the point where doctors implanted them and migrate to other parts of the patient’s body, causing serious injury or even death. The list of internal injuries that can result from a fractured IVC filter include:

In most cases seen by our Atlanta personal injury attorneys, the issues that arise from faulty IVC filters require the patient to undergo emergency surgery, sometimes more than once. In severe situations, this can result in the need for open heart surgery, which itself is a risky and costly procedure. In some cases, the devices cannot even be removed, in which case the patient literally has a ticking time bomb inside their body, because the device will eventually break apart.

There are six specific types of IVC filters targeted in the lawsuits. They are:

In each case, the manufacturers of the faulty devices are facing allegations of design and manufacturing defects, negligence, failure to warn, and misrepresentation. Unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies hurt many people; if you are one of them, discuss your options with a knowledgeable Atlanta IVC filter injury attorney.

Speak with Aggressive IVC Filter Injury Lawyers in Atlanta, GA

If you or somebody you love suffered serious injuries caused by an IVC filter, do not hesitate to contact The Dixon Firm, P.C. in Atlanta, GA. Our legal team has years of experience handling IVC filter claims and can help you start your road to financial recovery. Call our office at 404-733-1166 to schedule a free consultation today.