Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit Claims Will Proceed Under Consolidation In Arizona

Federally Filed Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit Claims Allege Patients Have Suffered Serious Injuries Due To Fracture, Tilting, And Migration Of C.R Bard’s Recovery and G2 Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters Reports Southern Med Law

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) approved a request to consolidate all federal IVC filter lawsuit claims filed against C.R. Bard Inc. over its Recovery and G2 Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters. In an August 17 order, the federal panel transferred 22 C.R. Bard IVC filter lawsuits to the U.S. District Court, District of Arizona and assigned Judge David G. Campbell to manage the coordinated pretrial proceedings. The JPML said in its order that the cases were transferred to the Arizona District because Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., the company’s division that designs, tests, markets, labels and conducts post-market surveillance of the IVC filters, is headquartered in that district and relevant documents and witnesses will be located there. The panel found that the Bard IVC filter lawsuits shared common factual questions arising from allegations that defects in the design of Bard’s retrievable IVC filters make them more likely to fracture, migrate, tilt, or perforate the inferior vena cava and cause injury. Centralizing the complaints will eliminate duplicative discovery, avoid inconsistent pretrial rulings, and conserve resources for all parties and the court, according to the JPML. (In Re: Bard IVC Filters Product Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2641)

“As the panel said, centralization will promote the just and efficient conduct of the litigation,” says Dr. François Blaudeau, Southern Med Law’s founder. The Firm is currently evaluating legal claims on behalf of individuals who allegedly experienced life-threatening complications associated with Bard IVC filters including:

Perforation of the Heart, Lung or Other Organs
Hemorrhagic Pericardial Effusion or Other Hemorrhage
Cardiac Tamponade or Pericardial Pamponade
Punctured Vena Cava
Perforated Aorta
Death

To schedule a free, no obligation case review, contact on of our experienced attorneys at the Firm today by calling 205-547-5525 or visit www.southernmedlaw.com and fill out the form on our website.

The FDA and CR Bard IVC Filters

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), IVC filters are small devices that are implanted into the inferior vena cava (the main vessel returning blood from the lower half of the body to the heart) to capture blood clots and prevent them from reaching the lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism. The retrievable filters are used in patients who are at risk for a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs), especially those who cannot take blood thinners or when anticoagulants have failed. The federal agency said it has received 921 device adverse event reports involving IVC filters since 2005. The reports involved the filters migrating, components detaching from the device, fracturing, and perforating the IVC. The FDA recommended that health care providers consider removing the retrievable IVC filters as soon as protection from pulmonary embolism is no longer needed.
[fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm221676.htm, August 9, 2010

Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit Claims

The federal Bard IVC fitler lawsuits claim that the IVC filters have the potential to fracture, tilt within the inferior vena cava, perforate the wall of the inferior vena cava (frequently penetrating into other organs and tissues such as the aorta and duodenum) and migrate through the body. The Bard IVC complaints contend that the filters lack efficacy and may actually increase the risk of pulmonary embolism. According to the complaints, Bard stopped marketing its Recovery IVC Filter without alerting consumers and replaced the device with the Bard G2 IVC filter, which the company said has enhanced fracture resistance, increased migration and improved centering. However, the complaints purport that Bard failed to conduct adequate clinical testing to ensure that the device would perform safely and effectively for short-term or long-term use. (In Re: Bard IVC Filters Product Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2641)

About Southern Med Law and Filing A CR Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit

Throughout his career, Dr. Blaudeau has worked hard to develop a strong reputation in healthcare litigation. His first-hand knowledge of medicine has made the Southern Med Law team an aggressive and effective advocate for those who were harmed due to negligent medical device manufacturers. If you or a loved one were injured by a Bard retrievable IVC filter, please contact Southern Med Law today to learn more about your legal rights. Call today for a free, no obligation Bard IVC filter lawsuit review by filling out our online form, or by calling the office directly at 205-547-5525.

Southern Med Law
François M. Blaudeau, MD JD FACHE FCLM Esquire
2224 1st Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Phone: 205-547-5525

Fax: 205-547-5526
francois@sml-legal.i-mlaw.com