A Washington IVC filter lawsuit may be an option for patients who have suffered complications as a result of an IVC filter procedure. Though the purpose of Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters is to prevent dangerous blood clots from making their way to the heart and lungs, some patients undergoing these treatments have experienced serious side effects and complications. While this procedure has proven successful in many instances, some patients have filed IVC filter lawsuits against the device makers alleging injuries associated with the IVC filters.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Washington. 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 lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What Are Blood Clots?
If blood clots are in a location such as the lungs, they can be extremely unsafe, even leading to death, as the Mayo Clinic explains. Fortunately, many times, blood clots are “good guys” in that they work to stave off bleeding that could otherwise be dangerous. If a cut occurs on the finger, on the scalp or on the leg, blood clots form to prevent a potentially worse situation. These “good guy” clots develop close under the skin’s surface and usually do not need further attention.
While blood clots frequently form in response to an injury, they have many other causes as well. For example, pregnancy, long-term sitting, deep-vein thrombosis and heart attack are all potential culprits. To reduce the chance of blood clots, doctors advise patients to stay active and to eat healthfully. People should watch out for signs such as sudden weakness and a fast heartbeat, and see a doctor as soon as possible.
A blood clot that moves elsewhere could bring potentially fatal consequences. For instance, one that moves to the lungs or that is already in the lungs is called a pulmonary embolism and could be life threatening. Other danger spots for blood clots include the brain, heart and deep, large veins.
IVC Filter Basics
IVC filters aim to prevent pulmonary embolisms, as the University of Washington Medicine explains. The procedure to insert a filter includes a numbing agent at the site of filter insertion and IV drugs; the process lasts about one hour. To decide where the filter should be put, X-rays are used, with filter insertion typically done through a groin vein or neck vein. IVC filters look like jellyfish or even baskets, with a small head on top and many arms/legs spreading below.
In some cases, IVC filters are not retrievable, which means they stay in a patient’s body for life. This is usually because the patient has been given the wrong blood thinner dose or the filter has become stuck to the inferior vena cava wall. In about eight of every 10 cases, though, a filter is retrievable in the few months following the insertion procedure. Removal becomes much more difficult in the few months after the IVC filter insertion.
FDA IVC Filter Warning
In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning stating that leaving a retrievable IVC filter in a person’s body was dangerous for several reasons. The agency recommended that such filters be removed as soon as possible when safe; in other words, these IVC filters should be temporary, not permanent. The warning cited reports of filters that moved to other parts of the body, filters that pierced the IVC (a key blood vein), filters that fractured, and more. In some cases, these problems could have been avoided if a filter was removed early on.
IVC Filter Lawsuits Filed
After the FDA warning, other studies on IVC filter safety were performed, and the FDA communicated with IVC filter manufacturer C.R. Bard in 2015 about the safety of its filters. In light of alleged serious complications after IVC filter insertions, patients filed hundreds of lawsuits. C.R. Bard settled in 2015 with a plaintiff alleging that the company knew its filter was defective and that risks were not clearly communicated. In 2016, Bard faces hundreds more lawsuits.
Attorneys are alleging serious injuries and other complications in Washington IVC filter lawsuits being filed on behalf of affected patients.
How a Washington IVC Filter Lawsuit Attorney Can Help
Device makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, 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.
People injured by the fault of others may be eligible to recover money for:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages
- Pain and Suffering
The families of those killed may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Washington. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to 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.
