Bard IVC Filter Injury Lawyers in Chicago

As one of the leading personal injury law firms in Illinois, the class action lawyers at GWC Injury Lawyers have years of experience representing injured victims in Chicago, Peoria, Burr Ridge, Libertyville, Rockford, and the surrounding areas.

If you have suffered because of this dangerous IVC filter, contact our offices today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and determine if filing an IVC filter lawsuit is right for you. We are committed to helping you get justice.

An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a small cage-like device that is placed inside the inferior vena cava in patients with deep vein thrombosis or who are at a high risk for developing pulmonary embolism. The inferior vena cava is the main blood vessel that pumps blood from the lower portion of the body back to the heart.

By placing the IVC filter in this vessel, it helps prevent blood clots that develop in the lower portion of the body from travelling to vital organs, such as the lungs, heart, or brain. If a blood clot reaches the lungs, it can cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

The Bard Recovery IVC and the G2 IVC Filter System are blood clot filters that are meant to be retrieved from the body after a short period of time. Unfortunately, in many cases, the device is never removed.

Numerous reports have claimed that, over time, the IVC filter can fracture into small metal fragments that can migrate through the body, causing serious injury to blood vessels, the heart, or the lungs. If the device is deposited in an organ, further embolus, bleeding, serious pain, and other severe injuries can result.

If your blood clot filter has fractured or migrated and caused you injury, contact us today to learn more about filing a Bard IVC filter lawsuit to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Bard IVC filters were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003 and were marketed as a retrievable device that was also safe for permanent use. However, studies have concluded that the device has a high failure rate and is prone to fracturing and migration.

Despite the initial Bard Recovery IVC filter being pulled from the market in 2005, its replacement, the G2 IVC filter system, has also been reported to fracture and migrate through the body, causing serious injury.

In 2010, the FDA issued an advisory about the serious complications that the blood clot filters can cause when left in the body for extended periods of time. The advisory came after the agency received 921 adverse event reports from 2005 to 2010. The reports included:

• 328 reports of filter migration
• 146 reports of embolization
• 70 reports of inferior vena cava perforation
• 56 reports of filter fraction

The FDA recommended that doctors monitoring patients with IVC filters remove the device as soon as the protection is no longer needed. The advisory was updated in 2014, recommending doctors remove the device 29 to 54 days after implantation. Surgery is the only way to remove a device and any fractured pieces.

Hundreds of IVC filter lawsuits have since been filed on behalf of innocent patients who have suffered serious injuries.

The dangers of a failed Bard IVC filter are very serious. Chest pain and shortness of breath are common indications that a blood clot filter may have failed, which can be determined with a CT scan. Some of the life-threatening complications that can result from a failed IVC filter include:

• Pulmonary embolism
• Constant severe pain in the chest
• Respiratory complications
• Perforation of the inferior vena cava, tissue, or organs
• Hemorrhage
• Death

If you have experienced any of these dangerous side effects, an IVC filter lawsuit can help bring you justice. Learn more by contacting us today.