A Cook Celect IVC Filter attorney notes that treatment for patients with a heightened risk of blood clot disorders often involves placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. Some patients undergoing this treatment have experienced serious complications, including pierced or perforated internal tissue, migration of fractured or dislodged filters, and blockages within veins. Affected patients are seeking assistance from an IVC filter lawsuit attorney to help them recover compensation for their injuries.
If you or a loved one suffered complications after a Cook Celect IVC filter procedure, contact Attorney Group to learn more. We offer free, confidential, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions and inform you of your options. If you choose to pursue a claim, we can connect you with an affiliated IVC filter attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What Are IVC Filters?
An IVC filter is a small device that is shaped like a cone. When a patient needs one of these filters, it is placed in his or her inferior cava vein, which is located in the area below the kidneys. This vein is the largest one in the body and is responsible for carrying de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body to the heart and the lungs.
IVC filters are placed in the inferior vena cava veins of those who are at risk for a pulmonary embolism. If one of these embolisms were permitted to reach the pulmonary artery, a patient may have a hard time breathing, experience chest pain and in some cases, pass away from complications associated with the embolism. In the body of a patient, the IVC filter allows blood to continue to flow through the inferior cava and around any clots that are trapped by the device.
However, IVC filters are not used in every situation where a patient might experience a pulmonary embolism. For example, a patient might be a good candidate for the use of an IVC filter if he or she is unable to undergo anticoagulation therapy because of a bleeding risk. Additionally, a patient might be considered for one of these devices if he or she has developed bleeding complications due to anticoagulation efforts or if large clots already exist within the inferior vena cava.
Risks Associated With IVC Filters
Despite their intended purpose, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that since 2005, they have received 921 reports of IVC filters causing adverse outcomes after placement. The agency is concerned that even though these filters are intended for short-term use, they are not always retrieved from the bodies of patients after the risk of pulmonary embolism subsides. Some of the adverse outcomes associated with the use of IVC filters could be traced back to the devices remaining in patients for too long after placement.
Many patients have claimed that after the placement of an IVC filter within their inferior vena cava vein, the device migrated to a different location or fractured while it was in their body, the FDA states. Other patients have claimed that pieces of the device or the entire device migrated up to their heart and lungs or that the IVC filter perforated after it was placed within their vein.
Cook Celect IVC Filter: Attorneys Note Other IVC Filter Risks
In one particular case, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a man had a Cook Celect IVC filter placed in his inferior vena cava vein after anticoagulation efforts proved to be unsuccessful. After the procedure, the patient experienced continual pain in his abdomen and was admitted to receive emergency medical care 10 months later. Once a computed topography scan was taken, it was discovered that one of the filter’s prongs had perforated the man’s duodenum. The man then had to undergo an operation to have the filter prong removed from his duodenum and further surgery to repair his duodenum was required.
According to the device manufacturer, Cook Medical, Celect IVC filters come with tiny anchors that are designed to secure the filter in the walls of the inferior vena cava. However, many patients continue to make claims of device migration and unnecessary harm after placement. Lawsuits have alleged that the medical devices were defectively designed and caused patients to be injured after receiving the Cook Celect IVC filters.
Attorneys are alleging serious injuries in Cook Celect IVC filter lawsuits being filed on behalf of affected patients.
Injured Patients May Be Entitled to Compensation
Medical device makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their devices, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a device maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
If a patient dies from complications related to a defective IVC Filter, family members may be entitled to compensation for the wrongful death of their loved one.
Patients who have suffered severe complications from IVC filters, as well as the families of those who have died as a result of complications with the device, are encouraged to seek the advice of an IVC filter lawyer to learn more about their rights and remedies.
For more information, contact Attorney Group. When you contact us, an attorney will follow up with you to speak with you about your case or answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
