Legal Actions Concerning Bard G2 IVC Filters are currently underway for persons who have suffered serious injuries from the implantation of this device, designed to trap blood clots and avert pulmonary embolism. Problems associated with the Bard G2 Inferior Vena Cava Filter encompass device breakage/movement, organ perforation, internal hemorrhage, and fatalities.
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.
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Update: Bard Ordered to Pay $3.6 Million in First IVC Filter Bellwether Trial
April 4, 2018 – A federal jury in Arizona on Friday ordered C.R. Bard, Inc. to pay $3.6 million to a Georgia woman who suffered serious complications after the company’s G2 IVC filter fractured inside her after being implanted.
The plaintiff, Sherr-Una Booker, received the Bard G2 filter in 2007, and shortly thereafter the device fractured, tilted, and migrated inside her body, causing one of its limbs to perforate her inferior vena cava, according to the suit.
Related Article: IVC Filter Lawsuit 2023 Update
What is the Bard G2 IVC Filter?
Bard Medical introduced the G2 IVC Filter in 2005 as a replacement for the original Bard Recovery IVC Filter System, which was linked to multiple reports of fracture and other problems that occurred when the device was left implanted for prolonged periods of time.
Bard marketed the G2 as having “enhanced fracture resistance”, “improved centering” and “increased migration resistance.” Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the Bard G2 IVC filter has been associated with a high rate of fracture and migration.
Vena Cava Filter Complications
According to a 2010 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (now JAMA Internal Medicine), the Bard G2 IVC filter fracture rate was 12%. In some patients, fractured pieces of the device became lodged in the hepatic vein or lung.
The study’s authors determined that the incidence of fracture was directly proportional to the length of time the filter was left implanted. Therefore, the rate of the following Bard G2 filter complications may increase over time:
- Fracture of the IVC Filter
- Perforation
- 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
Blood Clot Filter FDA Warning
In August 2010, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication [1] regarding complications caused by IVC filters (updated in May 2014) [2]. The agency stated that the risks associated with the devices increase the longer they are left implanted. According to the warning:
“For patients with retrievable filters, some complications may be avoided if the filter can be removed once the risk of pulmonary embolism has subsided. The FDA is concerned that retrievable IVC filters, when placed for a short-term risk of pulmonary embolism, are not always removed once the risk subsides.”
Warning Signs
Warning signs that a Bard G2 IVC Filter has fractured 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 vena cava 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.
Class Action Lawsuit
In September of 2012, a class action lawsuit filed against Bard over its Recovery and G2 inferior vena cava filters was transferred to the federal court system. Attorneys for Bard petitioned to have the case transferred to the U.S. District Court in Florida, which means that the company believes the litigation will eventually likely include over 100 plaintiffs, that the total Bard G2 Express IVC Filter claims could surpass $5 million, and that members of the plaintiff class will be diverse from at least 1 defendant.
A number of other individual Bard IVC filter lawsuits have been filed in courthouses around the country, each involving similar allegations that Bard knew – or should have known – about the devices’ potential to cause adverse health consequences, but that the company failed to warn the public and medical communities about these risks.
The lawsuits seek compensation to pay for medical monitoring patients will require to ensure that the vena cava filters have not fractured or embolized as long as they remain implanted in their bodies. More than 100,000 Bard IVC filters have been implanted in patients in the U.S. alone.
Related Articles:
- Bard Meridian IVC Filter Class Action Suit
- Bard G2 X IVC Filter Lawsuit
- Bard G2 X IVC Filter Class Action Suit
See all related medical device lawsuits our attorneys covered so far.
FAQs
1. How Does a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Affect My Bard G2 IVC Filter Lawsuit?
MDL consolidates similar cases to streamline the legal process. Your case will be part of a larger group but still treated individually for settlement purposes.
2. How Can I Obtain My Medical Records for the Lawsuit?
Request your medical records from the healthcare facilities where you received treatment. Your attorney can also assist in obtaining these records.
3. Can I File a Lawsuit If I Signed a Consent Form Before My IVC Filter Implantation?
Yes, signing a consent form does not absolve the manufacturer of liability if the product is defectively designed or manufactured.
Do I Have a Bard G2 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 G2 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 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.