Parilman & Associates – Bard IVC Filter Lawyers
Blood clots can form almost anywhere in the body and they can form for any number of different reasons. While all blood clots can be dangerous, there are some such as pulmonary embolisms that tend to develop in the lungs that present a particularly high degree of risk to patients. One of the biggest risks involved with them is that many patients do not realize that they are present until serious problems have arisen. The world of medical science has been working hard in recent years to come up with products, medications and other treatment strategies designed to prevent blood clots and to minimize the risks associated with them.
One such company that came out with a product several years ago is C.R. Bard. Bard, as the company is commonly called, released a product known as the Bard IVC filter. This filter is implanted inside of a patient’s body and it’s used to basically intercept and trap blood clots so that the damage that they tend to do is minimized. This product was seen as particularly useful for pulmonary embolisms as the filter tended to protect the lung tissue and therefore the patient’s ability to breathe and to circulate oxygen throughout his or her body normally.
Unfortunately, after the product had been on the market for a few years, adverse reports of alleged Bard IVC filter side effects and complications began to arise. These complications were severe in nature and they basically focused on three allegations regarding the filters. These allegations included the tendency for these filters to:
- Migrate to different parts of the body
- Have parts of the product detach and float around in the circulatory system
- Perforate the inferior vena cava
Any or all of these problems could be seen as extremely serious as they present immediate complications for the respiratory system and ultimately to the heart and the brain. These problems also led to the filters failing to perform their intended function, meaning that blood clots that did form in the body could once again move about freely and settle in dangerous locations.
In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration decided to take the step of warning the public of the potential for serious and dangerous Bard IVC filter defects, and the notice covered all of these tendencies and the risks faced by patients who used them. While this was seen by many as a positive step for future patients, the fact that the filter was already inside the body of thousands of people created risk for all of them. There was little that could be done once that step had been taken other than to monitor the situation closely. Experts estimated that more than 250,000 Americans every year had used this Bard IVC filter at one point.
If you have used this product in the past to help you with blood clotting, you should consider scheduling an appointment with your medical care provider to receive a full evaluation and to ask questions regarding this issue. You can never be too careful. In addition, if you or someone you love has been harmed because of this product, you need to evaluate your legal rights and options. Contact the Bard IVC filter lawyers at Parilman & Associates to schedule a free initial consultation.
