IVC Filters Can Cause Severe Internal Damage
Damage to the Heart, Lungs, and Veins Caused by IVC Filters
“I Have Excess Fluid around My Heart”
“My Veins Were Torn by a Dislodged IVC Filter”
“I have Internal Bleeding Around my Heart”
“I Had an IVC Filter Implanted and Now I’m Experiencing Severe Pain”
“My Doctor Was Unable to Retrieve my IVC Filter”
“My IVC Filter Caused Severe Tearing”
Arentz Law has IVC Filter Lawyers
Damage to the Heart, Lungs, and Veins Caused by IVC Filters
After someone has major surgery, they are unable to move around freely. This can lead to blood flow slowing down which can cause the blood to clot in the veins. If these clots don’t dissolve and they travel to the heart, brain, or lungs, serious medical emergencies or even death can occur.
To prevent this Bard and Cook created IVC filters. These inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are implanted in the veins and act as a prevention method to keep those clots from traveling to the major organs and causing further problems. However, the devices themselves were not tested well enough, and can end up causing serious damage to the patient.
Have you had surgery, and in order to prevent blood clots your doctor implanted an IVC? You may be at risk of severe internal damage.
Are you immobile due to paralysis or another disability? Your doctor may have implanted an IVC to help reduce your risk of blood clot damage, but the device is putting you at great risk of physical damage to your heart.
Have you reacted negatively to a blood thinner, and had an IVC filter implanted instead? Your lungs, veins, and other tissues could be damaged by this filter.
If you have had an IVC filter implanted, regardless of which brand it was, and you have suffered from severe physical damage to your veins, heart, lungs, or anything else, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact an IVC Filter attorney from Arentz Law Group P.C. today by calling 1-800-305-6000, or fill out the contact form located on this page, to schedule your free consultation.
“I Have Excess Fluid around My Heart”
Has your doctor told you recently that you are suffering from excess fluid around your heart? This medical condition, called cardiac tamponade, is a potentially deadly side effect of an IVC Filter. This device, that was designed to stop blood clots from causing severe medical problems, could have fatal side effects.
The human heart is surrounded by a membrane called the pericardial sac. It has a number of functions including keeping the heart safe, and keeping the heart muscles held in place. This sac, however, can hold fluid when reacting to physical trauma. The result is that you end up suffering from cardiac tamponade; a condition that when left uncorrected can cause death.
As the pericardial sac fills with fluid, it puts unnecessary pressure on the heart. This means that your heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. As the fluid builds up, the ventricles in the heart can have trouble fully expanding and the other organs in your body suffer from inadequate blood flow.
Left uncorrected, the excess fluid around your heart can lead to organ failure, shock, and ultimately death.
A misplaced, malfunctioning, or broken IVC filter can be the cause of your cardiac tamponade. In a study published in Southern Medical Journals back in 2008, it was discovered how this actually happens.
A 53 year-old patient was having problems with his heart. While in the emergency room a scan was done and revealed he had excess fluid built up around the heart. During his emergency surgery, the doctors removed a 1.5 centimeter (about 5/8 of an inch) long wire that had become lodged in his right ventricle. This wire had broken off of the IVC filter and migrated into his heart causing problems that could have been fatal had they not been detected early enough.
Have you had an IVC filter implanted to reduce your risk of stroke or blood clots? Have you recently been suffering from chest pains or pains with your heart? The filter may have migrated from where it was implanted and is starting to cause deadly problems. Have your IVC and your heart checked by a physician right away.
If you have recovered from a broken IVC filter that caused cardiac tamponade, call an attorney at Arentz Law Group P.C. today at 1-800-305-6000 to discuss your potential case to be compensated for expenses and damages.
“My Veins Were Torn by a Dislodged IVC Filter”
Pulmonary embolism is a medical condition that is caused by blood clots blocking the arteries in the lungs. These blood clots have a variety of causes, and a solution to the problem has been sought for many decades. Some solutions work marginally well, and none are without their downfalls.
Back in the 1960’s scientists designed an IVC filter to help prevent pulmonary embolism. This first filter was poorly designed, and wasn’t easily inserted or retrieved. Many iterations later, and we have seen an increase in patients using IVC filters due to their temporary nature, and the supposed ease in which they can be removed.
The problem, however, is that a retrievable temporary filter isn’t as easy to remove as it sounds. Those who have been implanted with a temporary filter generally do not have the filter removed, and many that do end up suffering from serious complications as the filter doesn’t just come right out.
Have you had an IVC filter implanted in order to reduce your risk of pulmonary embolism? During removal did the device tear, puncture, or perforate the walls of your veins? This event would have been cause for emergency surgery to remove the device and repair the damage to your veins that was caused.
A study that was published in the International Journal of Angiology showed that the risk of pulmonary embolism or other deadly blood clots in certain patients is quite high. One of the methods many doctors have used is to insert an IVC filter. But since the filter isn’t quite as safe as the manufacturer wants you to believe, more study needs to be done in order to prevent severe vein damage to those using it.
Have you suffered from vein damage when your IVC filter was being removed? Compensation may be available to offset the medical bills and damages that you have experienced! IVC lawyers from Arentz Law Group P.C. want to talk with you to discover if you have a case against the manufacturer. Call 1-800-305-6000 to schedule your no obligation phone call.
“I have Internal Bleeding Around my Heart”
The pericardial sac (mentioned up above) serves to protect and enhance the functioning of the heart. When working correctly it helps to maintain a healthy and strong heart. However, that sac can fill up with fluid or with blood and cause significant problems, or even death.
Bleeding around the heart, which is called hemorrhagic pericardial effusion, is a major side effect of having a Bard or Cook temporary IVC filter implanted in the veins.
Much like the cause of the fluid build-up, bleeding around the heart occurs when one of these devices fractures. The piece of wire (called a strut) that breaks off of the filter travels through the blood stream before ultimately becoming lodged in the heart. There it causes damage that bleeds out into the pericardial sac causing further complications.
You may wonder how rare this is, and is it likely to happen to your IVC. A study done back in 2010, and published on the JAMA Network, shows that these occurrences are surprisingly not very rare at all. In their study 16% of patients being observed suffered from fractured struts. Many of them had 1 or more fragments become lodged in the heart, and one of the patients actually died suddenly at home due to a malfunctioning IVC filter. There is often not even enough time to get to the doctor before this deadly device causes irreversible and fatal problems.
If you have had an IVC filter implanted, and suffered from a fractured strut that has caused severe bleeding in and around your heart, then you need to speak with a personal injury attorney right away. Arentz Law Group P.C. has attorneys that have studied these devices and know that the manufacturers should be held responsible for the pain, suffering, and medical bills that you have incurred because of their faulty devices. Call 1-800-305-6000 today to start the process of receiving the compensation that you deserve!
“I Had an IVC Filter Implanted and Now I’m Experiencing Severe Pain”
These filters were designed for one thing: to reduce the likelihood that a severe blood clot will end up causing heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, or similar medical conditions. Unfortunately they have come with a whole series of potentially deadly side effects, and in some cases they simply don’t stop the blood clots that they were intended to stop.
To make matters worse, the newest versions of the devices were designed to be temporary and retrievable. To do this the design was changed, and that new design comes with a host of problems including the fact that some of the struts, or wires, can break off and become lodged in the veins, lungs, heart, or other areas of the body.
Do you have an IVC filter, and you’re suffering from pain near the filter placement? It may be due to internal damage caused by the filter itself. These devices have been known to puncture or perforate the vein near where they have been implanted. The result is that some patients have suffered from near fatal internal hemorrhaging. Without medical intervention, the patient would have bled to death without ever knowing why the bleeding was occurring.
There are many different brands of IVC filters on the market. However, the Bard and Cook brands have had the most problems, with as many as 16% of patients experiencing detrimental, painful, or sometimes fatal side effects.
If you have suffered from vein puncture, tissue tearing, heart, or lung problems after having an IVC filter implanted, you should talk with an IVC filter attorney from Arentz Law Group P.C. right away. Our attorneys understand the issues surrounding these devices, and they know that the manufacturers should be held responsible for the damages the filters have caused.
Call 1-800-305-6000 today to set up your free consultation with a highly trained attorney from Arentz Law Group.
“My Doctor Was Unable to Retrieve my IVC Filter”
In the 1960’s the first IVC filter was developed. It was a way to help prevent deadly blood clots for those who are at a greater risk, but were unable to use anticoagulant medication (these medications themselves are not without certain risks of internal bleeding). The problem, however, was that the filters were hard to implant, and even harder to remove.
Recently, however, companies have invented temporary IVC filters. These retrievable devices are designed to stay in the body only as long as the danger of blood clots is present. When the patient is once again able to move about freely and the risk of suffering from a deadly clot has been removed, the device is supposed to be easily extracted from the body.
There have been many cases, however, that the filter was not extracted from the body as easily as it was supposed to be. Some of the cases required emergency surgery, and others required a much more invasive procedure than originally planned.
A report published in 2006 shows the shockingly high number of complications that these devices actually experience. In this study, 20% of the attempted retrieval of the IVC filter failed and further medical procedures were required.
After just 33.6 days (on average) many patients found that the filter had adhered itself to the walls of the vein. Some had found that the filter had tilted (minimizing its overall effectiveness and making retrieval impossible). Others found that the filter itself had become clogged with blood clots.
Have you had an IVC implanted, but your doctor is unable to retrieve it? The purpose of these filters is to make implantation and extraction an easy and relatively painless procedure. In fact, they are designed so that opening the skin isn’t even necessary, but everything can be done with needles. The truth is that poorly designed filters regularly don’t function the way that they’re supposed to.
If you have an IVC filter, and your doctor is unable to retrieve it, or had to go through drastic surgical methods to remove the device, you may be entitled to compensation. You shouldn’t be on the hook for the problems caused by a poorly designed IVC filter, but rather the manufacturer should be. Call an attorney at Arentz Law Group P.C. at 1-800-305-6000 to determine if your experience entitles you to compensation.
“My IVC Filter Caused Severe Tearing”
Have you wondered if you have grounds to file a lawsuit due to your IVC filter? There is a good chance that you can collect compensation if you have suffered damage to your body because of the filter.
These filters, primarily those made by Bard or Cook, have been known to cause tearing and damage. This happens in a variety of ways.
Your IVC filter migrates. These filters often do not stay exactly in the position where they are placed. Instead the flowing blood can cause them to slip out of place, and migrate to a different location in the body. Finally when the filter does stop moving, it can be tilted or it can tear a hole in the side of the vein.
Your IVC filter breaks. There are many instances where the struts or legs of the filter break off from the device. These broken fragments can travel through the bloodstream and get lodged in the heart, lungs, or in the vein walls themselves.
Your IVC Filter tears tissues. During retrieval there is a lot that can go wrong with the filter. It can become lodged, snagged, or otherwise caught in the surrounding tissues. The result is that extraction isn’t as clean and simple as the manufacturers would like you to believe. Instead you end up with significant scarring, lengthy recoveries, and painful medical procedures.
Have you suffered because your IVC filter didn’t function the way it was described? Have you wondered, “Can I file an IVC filter lawsuit?” Do you have extensive medical bills because of problems that arose with your IVC filter? Have you thought, “Can I sue because my IVC filter caused problems?” Then you need to speak with an attorney from Arentz Law Group P.C. today. Call 1-800-305-6000 to schedule your free consultation with a personal injury lawyer that specializes in IVC lawsuits.
Arentz Law has IVC Filter Lawyers
The IVC filter has been on the market for decades. And every year more evidence arises that shows these devices have a high rate of failure, many problems that arise with their extraction, and in some cases simply do not work. However, the manufacturers are not redesigning the product.
Here at Arentz Law Group P.C. , we want to make sure that you aren’t left paying for their mistake! If you have suffered any of the severe side effects listed above, then you need to call us right away to start the process of being made whole again. You deserve products that don’t cause further damage. When you end up paying with painful recoveries and high medical bills, you aren’t getting what you deserve.
We can make things right, all you need to do is fill out the contact form on this page, or give us a call at 1-800-305-6000.
Arentz Law Group P.C. has personal injury attorneys based in Southern California that serve clients from all 50 states. No matter where you are located, we can handle your case and make sure you get the representation that you deserve.