Safeflo IVC Filter Litigation MDL

In a public safety communication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has received approximately 920 adverse event reports related to the use of IVC filters, It issued a public report to inform medical professionals and patients about the potential risks associated with using the small, cage-like device. Adverse events reported by the FDA include:

Filter fracturing of the device
Migration of the pieces
Embolization of fractured device or device components
Tearing of the inferior vena cava vein.

Cordis IVC Filter Litigation is consolidated in California State Court. Bard IVC Filter Litigation is consolidated in MDL 2641. Cook Medical IVC Filter Litigation is consolidated in MDL 2570.

There is no MDL for Boston Scientific Corp IVC Filter Litigation. “We believe it is possible that more cases will be filed and a motion for consolidation and transfer may be formed in an effort to form an MDL,” said Mass Tort Consultant John Ray.

According to one of the many product liability cases filed against IVC Filter manufacturers:

“Defendants knew or should have known that its Cook Filter when used as expected and intended, had the possibility of shifting, breaking free its implantation site, migrating, perforating the vena cava, and causing serious injury and/or death to patients.”

The case is Olenda Homes et al. v. Cook Medical Inc. et al. (Case No. 5:16-cv-00066).

Patients who cannot use traditional blood-thinning drugs are usually the typical users of IVC filters. The devices are surgically implanted into a patient’s inferior vena cava vein and are designed to catch blood clots from the legs before they migrate to the heart and lungs, which could cause a pulmonary embolism if it reached these important organs. The filters are meant to only be used temporarily, according to the FDA, and hold the clot until it naturally disappears and until the threat of blood clots is no longer an issue.

IVC filters have come under more intense scrutiny and have been the subject of many lawsuits due to allegations that they have fractured with pieces subsequently migrating away from the original insertion point to other parts of the body. The pieces can tear veins and organs, and embed in other “high risk” areas of the body where they cannot be surgically removed, thus causing significant and long-term risks for the patient.

In its report, the FDA identifies a number of potential symptoms of migrating pieces that patients should be on guard for that include out of the ordinary heart rhythms, dizziness, fainting, heart palpitations, and chest pain.