Interior Vena Cava Filters May Be More Dangerous Than Conditions Designed to Treat

Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters are small devices placed in the body to prevent blood clots from the legs from reaching the lungs. Pulmonary embolisms, which result from blood clots traveling, often result in death or brain damage, and IVC filters were seen as a safe preventative measure for people in high risk categories or with a history of developing blood clots in the extremities.

Unfortunately, IVC filters have proven as dangerous as the conditions they were created to address. Just like blood clots, pieces of the device can break off and travel through the body, resulting in stroke or serious internal bleeding, both of which can be fatal. Stroke carries many of the same negative health outcomes as pulmonary embolism.

IVC filters have been indicated for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including:

• DVT, or Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Side effects of trauma to the legs, resulting in high incidence of clots
• Certain rare blood disorders

IVC filters were initially marketed only to those who did not respond to conventional blood-thinners and other treatments, but over time doctors began to use them to treat more and more patients, with thousands of these procedures performed each year. But as more IVC filters were implanted, it became harder and harder to ignore how often the devices broke down and caused injury and even death to patients.

If you or someone you love has suffered from a faulty IVC filter, it is important to hold the manufacturer responsible for the defective design of the product. Please consider consulting with an experienced attorney, who can help guide you through the process of demonstrating your negative health effects were caused by device breakdown or failure.