Published by Recipients have reported severe personal injuries from IVC Filters, such as heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms, organ damage, vein ruptures, and beyond.
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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Lawsuit Filed in Philadelphia
March 3, 2017 – A California woman whose doctor was allegedly unable to retrieve an Argon IVC filter from her body has filed a lawsuit against Argon Medical Devices and Rex Medical in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiff Debra Victor claims the filter couldn’t be removed because it had become embedded in her vena cava, and is suing the companies for manufacturing a defective medical device.
Related Article: IVC Filter Lawsuit (2023) Update
Overview
Argon IVC filter is designed to protect against recurrent pulmonary embolism, a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot. The device is different than many other IVC filters in that it can be retrieved or remain implanted, depending on whether the patient needs short-term or long-term protection from pulmonary embolism. The OptionELITE was originally designed by Pennsylvania-based Rex Medical but is now manufactured and marketed by Argon Medical Devices.
What’s the Problem?
Studies have found that when left in place for an extended period of time, IVC filters have been linked to serious, potentially fatal complications including:
- Fracture of the IVC filter
- Device Migration
- Insertion-site Thrombosis
- Perforation
- Internal Bleeding
- Cardiac or Pericardial Tamponade
- Ventricle Tachycardia
- Lower Limb Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Hematoma or Nerve Injury at the Puncture Site
- Constant and Severe Pain in the Heart, Chest, or Elsewhere in the Body
- Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
- Respiratory Distress
- Infection
- Shortness of Breath
- Death
FDA Recommendation
FDA now advises doctors responsible for patients with retrievable IVC filters to consider removing the devices [1] as soon as protection from pulmonary embolism is no longer needed. The agency’s recommendation was made after it received 921 adverse event reports [2] involving IVC filters since 2005. Of these:
- 328 involved device migration
- 146 involved embolization
- 70 involved perforation of the IVC
- 56 involved filter fracture
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IVC Filters Don’t Save Trauma Patients, Study Finds
Patients who suffered trauma and received IVC filters to prevent blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism) had no survival advantage, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine [3] in September 2016. A research team led by Dr. Shayna Sarosiek at the Boston University School of Medicine looked at data from 451 IVC filter recipients and 1,343 controls, and found that the devices did not save a significant number of these patients and doctors removed just 8% of the filters after 3.8 years. This is a problem because the FDA recommends doctors remove these filters about 60 days after initial placement.
“The use of IVC filters in this population should be reexamined because filter removal rates are low and there is an increased risk of morbidity in patients with filters that remain in place,” the researchers concluded. “Given the expected morbidity of long-term IVC filter use, filters should be removed as soon as a patient’s contraindication to anticoagulation resolves.”
Free Confidential Dallas, Texas Argon IVC Filter Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has had an IVC filter implanted, you should contact Schmidt & Clark, LLP 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.
FAQs
1. What Complications Have Been Linked to the Argon IVC Filter?
The complications linked to the Argon IVS filter include device migration, perforation of veins or organs, filter fracture, and blood clots, leading to serious health risks.
2. How Can I Tell if My IVC Filter Has Failed?
Signs of IVC filter failure include chest pain, shortness of breath, severe pain in the abdomen or back, and swelling in the legs.
3. What Legal Actions Have Been Taken Against Argon Medical Devices?
Numerous lawsuits have been filed against Argon Medical Devices, alleging negligence, product liability, and failure to warn about the risks associated with their IVC filters.
4. What Are the FDA Recommendations Regarding IVC Filters?
The FDA recommends that IVC filters be removed as soon as they are no longer needed to mitigate the risk of complications.
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