Attorneys at Patterson Dahlberg are investigating lawsuits alleging patients were harmed by Bard IVC (inferior vena cava) filters. These filters—the Recovery and G2 IVC filters—allegedly cause life-threatening injury if they are left implanted too long. Some Bard IVC filter lawsuits have gone to trial already, resulting in a win for the plaintiff in one case.
At Patterson Dahlberg Injury Lawyers, we know the catastrophic consequences caused by defective medical devices to both your physical and emotional health. Our attorneys have represented patients harmed by companies that put profits before safety. We fight aggressively for our clients and demand justice from medical device makers who put improperly designed or manufactured devices on the market. That’s why we’ve obtained more than $120 million for our personal injury clients.
When patients have a medical device implanted, they expect it to save their life not put it at risk.
Bard IVC Filter Complications
Bard inferior vena cava filters (IVC filters) are implanted in patients to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Patients who have a retrievable IVC filter—including the Bard Recovery and Bard G2 filters—implanted should have it taken out after the short-term risk of deep vein thrombosis has passed.
The Bard Recovery IVC Filter and G2 filter, which have a body and struts that look like spider legs, are implanted in the patient’s inferior vena cava to prevent blood clots from moving to the patient’s heart and lungs.
Patients have filed lawsuits against Bard alleging the company’s IVC filter devices are prone to early failure, which includes migrating out of position, causing perforation, and having the legs break off.
In some extreme cases, the Bard filter has migrated to a position it cannot be retrieved from, meaning it must stay implanted and the patient has to hope it does not cause life-threatening damage. In other cases, the filter can be retrieved but likely only after it has already caused damage.
NBC News Bard Filter Report Alleges Company Knew About Deaths
An NBC News report that aired in 2015 alleges C.R. Bard knew about failures of its G2 IVC filters, including receiving reports of deaths linked to the filters. According to the report, Bard was already concerned about the filters less than four months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved them for the market.
In the NBC report, Dr. William Kuo, who runs the IVC Filter Clinic a Stanford Health Care, said that based on the number of complications and severe failures, the device was never safe to be implanted. Having removed more than 1,000 implanted IVC filters, Kuo, who removes filters other surgeons find too complex or dangerous to remove, says he has removed more Bard filters than any other filter.
Bard’s initial filter was the Recovery, which the company reportedly knew had higher rates of the relative risk of death and other complications than competitors. Rather than recalling the Bard Recovery, the company replaced the filter with the Bard G2, but the G2 also had similar issues.
In 2014, the FDA issued a safety alert recommending that IVC filters—including the Bard filter—be removed from patients once the blood clot risk has expired. Although the filters were removed from the market, they were not the subject of a Bard IVC filter recall.
Study Finds High Risk of Bard Filter Complications
A 2010 study of Bard Retrievable Vena Cava Filters, published in JAMA, found that of 80 patients with a Bard filter implanted, 13 had at least one strut fracture. Meanwhile, 25% of the 28 Bard Recovery Filters fractured and embolized and in five of those seven cases, at least one fragment embolized to the heart.
One patient died. Following the study, the hospital researchers worked at stopped using the Bard retrievable filters and researchers urged other medical centers to evaluate any patients who received Bard or other IVC filters.
Bard IVC Filter Lawsuits
Plaintiffs have filed Bard IVC filter lawsuits alleging the filters failed and caused severe harm. Federal lawsuits were consolidated in MDL-2641 for pretrial proceedings, with three bellwether cases already going to trial.
So far, the bellwether cases have resulted in split results. One of the trials resulted in a federal jury awarding the plaintiff $3.6 million. Another resulted in the jury finding in favor of the company while a third was dismissed thanks to the statute of limitations expiring.
Bard IVC Filter Attorney
At Patterson Dahlberg, we understand the devastation that can be caused by having a defective medical device implanted.
If you or a loved one received the Bard Recovery or Bard G2 IVC filters and suffered complications, we’re here to demand justice.
Our attorneys are highly skilled at representing personal injury clients and will vigorously fight to ensure you receive the compensation you’re entitled to.
Contact an attorney at Patterson Dahlberg today to find out how we can represent you.
Our initial consultations are free and our attorneys will provide you with excellent legal advice to ensure you fully understand your rights.