Philadelphia IVC Filter Lawyers
When a Product Meant to Improve Your Health Causes Harm
The superior and inferior vena cava are veins that gather deoxygenated blood from the body and return it to the heart for new oxygen. They are the body’s largest veins, and can be prone to medical conditions like blood clots and other obstructions. These are treated with steroids, surgeries, and medical devices like IVC filters. Sometimes IVC filters do not work as they should or are implanted for the wrong reasons.
What Are IVC Filters?
An IVC filter is a medical device that gets implanted into the inferior vena cava to prevent blood clots from reaching a patient’s lungs; they resemble miniature cages and can be quite effective. However, it has been reported that up to half have been implanted for reasons that are not FDA-approved. Further studies show that up to 40 percent of these filters fail after just five years of use.
Vena cava filters are made from metal and are prescribed to patients who have blood clots in their veins but cannot take blood-thinning medications or have other complicating factors. An IVC filter can be permanent or removable and is inserted into the abdomen. It is not a complicated procedure in itself, and patients can usually return to their normal activities after a day or so.
IVC Filter Complications
There are several IVC complications that people can sue for. One is filter migration, when the device moves or fractures, perforating the patient’s inferior vena cava. If the IVC does fracture, the tiny pieces could travel throughout the body and damage organs like the lungs and heart.
Plaintiffs have also successfully brought cases against IVC manufacturers which claim that their IVC filters caused blood clots. There have also been complaints of filters that were impossible to remove and ones of organ perforation and damage. It has been alleged that the devices were defective and that the companies were aware (or should have known) of the dangers, yet they failed to warn physicians and patients about the risks.
What is the Average IVC Filter Settlement Payout in 2022?
There have been six major IVC filter recalls from 2005 to 2015, but none since then. Most of the lawsuits concern devices that were never recalled, and the awarded damages have been in the millions. As of July 2019, there had been more than 14,000 suits filed against two of the manufacturers, with many more still in the progress.
In March of 2018, one manufacturer was ordered to pay a claimant $3.6 million to settle her case, and less than a year later, another was awarded $3 million. As of May 2022, there were well over 8,000 pending lawsuits in a class action against one of the same companies. These cases can take years to arrive at a verdict, but 2021 saw a decent amount of movement with three plaintiff’s verdicts going to trial. One received a $3.3 million verdict, which could very well become the average IVC filter settlement payout in 2022.
Am I Eligible for Compensation?
A products liability lawyer can help you determine if you are eligible for compensation in an IVC filter claim. You will need to know what year the device was put in, and most of these cases involve ones that were implanted before 2003. It is also important to know which company manufactured your IVC, and your doctor should be able to provide that information. Be ready to let the attorney know what complications you have experienced, how it has impacted your life, and have your physician’s report handy.
McCann Dillon Jaffe & Lamb, LLC are Products Liability Lawyers in Philadelphia Who are Experienced with IVC Lawsuits
If you need products liability lawyers in Philadelphia to help with your IVC complications claim, look no further than McCann Dillon Jaffe & Lamb, LLC. We will fight to get you a just settlement. From our offices located in Philadelphia and Abington, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, we represent clients in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and New Jersey. Complete our online form or call us at 215-569-8488 to schedule a consultation today.