June 1, 2016 — Cook Medical has been hit with a federal lawsuit by a man from Texas who was injured by an IVC filter.
The lawsuit was filed on May 31 by Parker Thompson, a man who was implanted with the Cook Günther Tulip vena cava filter at a hospital in Dallas in July 2005 (Case 1:16-cv-01337).
The case is centralized in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2570) in federal court in Indianapolis under U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young — In Re: Cook Medical Inc. IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation.
Thompson will join about 400 other people who filed lawsuits after being injured by Cook Celect or Günther Tulip. Many of those lawsuits were filed by Dallas attorney Ben C. Martin, who told the International Business Times:
“There are probably tens of thousands of people that are walking around with a perforated vena cava and have absolutely no idea. You’ve got a massive public health risk in the United States.”
The Günther Tulip is a retrievable filter that is implanted in the inferior vena cava (IVC), a major blood vessel. The device catches blood clots before they cause pulmonary embolisms.
The problem is that the risk of complications increases the longer the filter remains implanted. The FDA recommends removing IVC filters within 39-54 days after implantation, but in many cases they are left in place for years or never removed.
In April 2012, a study of 50 people who were implanted with the Celect or Günther Tulip found that 40% of the filters tilted, 85% perforated through the vena cava, and all of the filters had some degree of perforation within 2.5 months after implantation.
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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