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Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit Filed in Illinois

Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit Filed in Illinois

June 6, 2013 — Plaintiff Henry Kilver and his wife, Judy, have filed a lawsuit after he suffered life-threatening injuries caused by C.R. Bard’s Recovery inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. The Bard IVC filter lawsuit alleges that Bard was negligent for failing to recall the Recovery or warn about its high risk of failure. The lawsuit was was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois on May 11.

In early 2005, Mr. Kilver was implanted with the Bard Recovery IVC filter — a cone-shaped metal filter that is designed to catch blood clots in the inferior vena cava (IVC) to prevent them from reaching the lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism.

Although the Recovery is a temporary implant that is supposed to be removed once the patient is no longer at risk of a pulmonary embolism, doctors did not remove the filter until February 2011, when the filter migrated into his heart and he required open-heart surgery. Mr. Kilver and his wife continue to face the burden of medical expenses, permanent disability, pain and suffering, decreased quality of life, and other damages.

The lawsuit alleges:

“Multiple studies have reported Bard’s Recovery Filter to have a fracture and migration rate ranging from 21% to 31.7%. When failures occur, shards of the device or the entire device can travel to the heart … The device may be irremovable. These patients are faced with a lifetime of future risk.”

Despite the devastating complications, Bard is accused of failing to warn patients about the risks. Instead, they continued to market the Recovery until August 2005, when the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) approved the G2 IVC filter, an improved device.

Complications of the Bard IVC filter include:

  • Migration of IVC filter
  • Bleeding (hemorrhage)
  • Cardiac / pericardial tamponade
  • Irregular heart rhythm
  • Symptoms of heart attack
  • Pain that is severe and persistent
  • Tissue perforations
  • Organ damage
  • Blood vessel perforation
  • Additional surgery, which may not be able to remove the filter
  • Death

Do I have an IVC Filter Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is evaluating IVC filter cases in all 50 states, regardless of whether you were injured or not. If you or someone you know received an IVC filter implant, please contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.

Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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