A Missouri woman has filed a Bard inferior vena cava (IVC) filter lawsuit alleging that part of the company’s G2 filter broke off and became lodged in her back. The new case will join more than 60 federal Bard IVC filter lawsuits pending in a multidistrict litigation in Arizona.
IVC filters are small, spider-shaped devices inserted into the vena cava to catch or break up blood clots before they gather near vital organs. IVC filters are supposed to reduce patients’ risk of embolic events like stroke, but research shows the devices can be just as life-threatening as the health crises they are designed to prevent. IVC filters manufactured by C. R. Bard have proven particularly problematic. An NBC Nightly News investigation uncovered a 2004 report that contained evidence Bard’s Recovery filter posed an unreasonable risk of injury or death due to device fracture or migration.
Bard’s G2 filter, released just after the Recovery filter was pulled from shelves in 2005, has also been linked to significantly increased cardiovascular risks. The plaintiff behind the new Bard IVC filter lawsuit states she was implanted with a Bard G2 filter in September 2008, but later learned the device had failed. When doctors were removing the filter, they found that one or more of its “struts” had broken away and become lodged in her back. The newly filed Bard IVC filter lawsuit claims this caused the plaintiff extreme pain and suffering, disability, incurred medical expenses, and loss of enjoyment of life.