A Texas IVC filter lawsuit may be an option for patients who have suffered complications as a result of an IVC filter procedure. For those patients suffering from blood clot disorders like deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are intended to be a safe and effective treatment option. While this procedure has proven successful in many instances, other patients have filed IVC filter lawsuits against the device makers alleging injuries associated with the IVC filters.
If you or a loved one suffered complications after an IVC filter procedure, contact Attorney Group for Texas 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 Texas IVC filter lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What Are IVC Filters?
While treatment for deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism often involves taking blood thinners, not all patients are suited to this treatment. For those with high blood pressure, increased risk of bleeding, or diabetes, blood thinners can cause more harm than good. IVC filters are used as an alternative treatment to stop clots from making their way to the lungs or heart. Instead of slowing down the formation of clots like blood thinners, IVC filters trap clots in the inferior vena cava vein and prevent them from traveling to other parts of the body, while allowing blood to flow freely around the captured clots.
Texas IVC Filter Lawsuit: Risks Associated With IVC Filters
The National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that there are a number of significant risks associated with IVC filter placement. The devices have been known to lodge within veins or change position, which can then result in the tearing of the vein. Claims of filters penetrating adjacent organs have also been reported, which can cause hemorrhaging under certain circumstances. Fractured filters components, such as struts, can also travel to the heart and lungs.
A 2012 study performed on 400 patients by researchers in French hospitals and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that blood thinners were more effective in preventing pulmonary embolism than IVC filters. During the course of the study, six of the patients with IVC filters suffered a pulmonary embolism and died, while another three experienced filter thrombosis, in which a portion or all of the filter broke and traveled to the heart or lungs. In comparison, only three of those treated with only blood thinners had a pulmonary embolism, with two of those dying.
Attorneys are alleging serious injuries and other complications in Texas IVC filter lawsuits being filed on behalf of affected patients.
Other IVC Filter Risks
While some patients enjoy the benefits of having an IVC filter procedure, there are a number of risks involved that have caused serious injury and complications in other patients. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety alert in connection with IVC filter risks, which stated that the IVC filters could potentially fracture, migrate, perforate the inferior vena cava, or even cause the deep vein thrombosis the devices are designed to prevent. Manufacturers of the devices claim that they can be used for long-term treatment, but the FDA instead encourages physicians to remove the filters as soon as treatment with blood thinners is effective in order to avoid the types of injuries that other patients have experienced.
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 a Texas IVC filter lawyer to learn more about their rights and remedies.
Contact Us For More Information
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Texas. You can fill out the form on this page, call us at the number listed at the top of the page, or email us at info@attorneygroup.com.
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.
See our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information, and contact Attorney Group for Texas today.
