Pulmonary Stenosis (PS) Lawsuit

Did you know that a number of antidepressant medications have been strongly linked to a catastrophic birth defect known as pulmonary stenosis (PS)? Since 2005, information has been emerging that certain antidepressants have been known to cause this and many other life-threatening health conditions.

What is Pulmonary Stenosis?

Pulmonary stenosis refers to a life-threatening birth defect characterized by a narrowing of the leaflets of the heart’s pulmonary valve. The leaflets open as the right ventricle contracts and pushes blood to the lungs, but when they are stenotic, the leaflets can stick or remain partially closed. When this occurs, fluid into the heart and veins can back up, and the right ventricle has to pump harder to move blood into the lungs. This forces the heart to work extra hard, and can consequently result in heart failure. Sadly, PS is one of the most common valve defects found in newborn babies.

Antidepressant Side Effects

The dramatic increase in antidepressant prescriptions over the past decades has helped to uncover the dramatic birth defects associated with these ubiquitous medications. Sadly, antidepressant use has been linked to an increased risk for pulmonary stenosis and a host of other extremely severe birth defects and side effects.

Antidepressants Liked to Pulmonary Stenosis

The following antidepressants have been associated with the development of pulmonary stenosis in children born to mothers who took them during pregnancy:

Paxil (Paroxetine)
Zoloft (Sertraline)
Celexa (Citalopram)
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Lexapro (Escitalopram)
Symbyax (fluoxetine and olanzapine)
Wellbutrin (Bupropion)
Effexor (Venlafaxine)

Types of Pulmonary Stenosis

There are four slightly different varieties of PS found in newborns:

Valvar pulmonary stenosis - the valve leaflets are thickened and/or narrowed.
Supravalvar pulmonary stenosis – the pulmonary artery just above the pulmonary valve is narrowed.
Subvalvar (infundibular) pulmonary stenosis - the muscle under the valve area is thickened, narrowing the outflow tract from the right ventricle.
Branch peripheral pulmonic stenosis – the right or left pulmonary artery is narrowed, or both may be narrowed.

If you’d like more information about pulmonary stenosis, please visit the American Heart Association to learn more today.

Do I have a Pulmonary Stenosis Lawsuit?

The Defective Drug & Products Liability Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in antidepressant drug birth defects lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new pulmonary stenosis cases in all 50 states.