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Bard Eclipse IVC Filter Lawsuit

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C.L. Mike Schmidt Published by C.L. Mike Schmidt

The Bard Eclipse IVC Filter has recently been linked to serious injuries and death. This device, which is supposed to protect against blood clots, can fracture after being implanted and cause complications including heart or lung perforation, hemorrhage, cardiac tamponade, and punctured vena cava.

Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has had an IVC filter implanted, you should contact our law firm immediately. Our lawyers are evaluating every individual case regardless of whether you have been injured or not. So, if you have received an IVC filter implant, we would like to speak with you. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer and our lawyers can help.

What is the Bard Eclipse?

The Bard Eclipse IVC filter is a medical device designed to be implanted into the inferior vena cava, a large blood vessel that runs from the abdomen into the heart and returns blood from the lower half of the body. Eclipse works by filtering blood clots to prevent them from migrating to the heart and/or lungs.

As the newest edition to Bard’s line of blood clot filters, the Eclipse features an “electropolished” design that supposedly increases its durability and length of time it can remain implanted.

Related Article: IVC Filter Lawsuit Update

IVC Filter Injuries

While anticoagulant drugs are typically the first line of treatment for blood clots, IVC filters like the Bard Eclipse may be used if anticoagulants are contraindicated or unsuccessful. However, there are a number of severe (in some cases life-threatening) complications that can occur with inferior vena cava filters:

  • Fracture of the IVC Filter
  • Perforation, Puncture, or Serious Damage to the Heart, Lungs, or Vena Cava
  • Internal Bleeding
  • Cardiac or Pericardial Tamponade
  • Ventricle Tachycardia
  • Lower Limb DVT
  • Hematoma or Nerve Injury at the Puncture Site
  • Constant and Severe Pain in the Heart, Chest, or Elsewhere in the Body
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Infection
  • Death

Fracture / Embolization Warning Signs

Warning signs that an IVC filter has failed may include:

  • Severe pain in the heart or chest
  • Anxiety
  • Pulmonary embolus
  • Respiratory compromise
  • Hemorrhage
  • Perforation of organs, tissues, or blood vessels

Patients who believe their IVC filters may have fractured should contact their doctor immediately. A computerized tomography (CT) scan or other test will be used to determine whether the device has failed.

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FDA Warns of Problems with Blood Clot Filters

After receiving over 900 reports of problems with IVC filters, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an official warning [1] cautioning doctors to remove the devices once the risk of blood clots has subsided. At the time of the warning (August 2010), the agency was aware of at least 921 injury reports involving problems with vena cava filters. Of those:

  • 328 involved the filter breaking free and traveling through the body
  • 146 involved components breaking loose
  • 70 involved the inferior vena cava being perforated
  • 56 reports were of the filters fracturing

While FDA did not detail the types of injuries resulting due to complications from IVC filter failure, it did note that some of the events led to “adverse clinical outcomes” for the patients.

Lawsuits Filed Against Bard for Defective Vena Cava Filters

Bard’s Recovery IVC Filter and G2 IVC Filter Systems have recently been the subject of litigation across the U.S. In June 2009, a lawsuit was filed in Arizona against C.R. Bard and Bard Peripheral Vascular on behalf of plaintiffs who were injured after being implanted with the devices. Later that month, another lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York against the same parties on behalf of plaintiffs who were allegedly injured by the Recovery Inferior Vena Cava Filter. The lawsuits claim that the device was inherently defective and caused life-threatening injuries to the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs in both lawsuits sought compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.

Related Articles:

See all related medical device lawsuits our attorneys covered so far.

Do I Have a Bard Eclipse IVC Filter Lawsuit?

The Medical Device Litigation Group at Schmidt & Clark, LLP law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Bard Eclipse IVC Filter Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.

Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has had a Bard Eclipse IVC filter implanted, you should contact our law firm immediately. Our lawyers are evaluating every individual case regardless of whether you have been injured or not. So, if you have received a Bard Eclipse IVC filter implant, we would like to speak with you. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer and our lawyers can help.

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