The lawsuit was filed by Scott L., a man from Nevada who was implanted with the Günther Tulip® Vena Cava Filter at St. Cloud Hospital in Minnesota in September 2009.
Blood clot filters are spider-like wire devices that are implanted in the inferior vena cava (IVC), a major blood vessel that carries oxygen-poor blood from the lower half of the body to the lungs to be re-oxygenated.
IVC filters are designed to “catch” blood clots before they enter the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately, the filters themselves can cause life-threatening complications. The risk increases the longer they remain implanted in the body.
In 2012, a study of 50 people implanted with the Günther Tulip or Cook Celect filters found that all of the patients had some degree of vena cava perforation within 71 days and 40% of the filters were tilted.
In another study published in 2013, 43% (69 out of 160) Günther Tulip filters perforated through the vena cava in an average of 437 days.
Cook Medical is accused of negligence for selling a defective medical device. The plaintiffs say the company knew or should have known about the risks and failed to warn patients and doctors.
The lawsuit was filed on September 5, 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (Indianapolis Division) — Case No. 1:16-cv-02379.
As of mid-August, Cook Medical was facing over 800 lawsuits in Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2570) — In Re: Cook Medical, Inc., IVC Filters Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation.
The plaintiff is represented by Ben C. Martin and Thomas Wm. Arbon of the Law Offices of Ben C. Martin in Dallas, Texas.
Editor’s note: For more information about IVC Filter lawsuits and your legal rights, please contact The Law Offices of Ben C. Martin.