The lawsuit was filed by Kristin K., a woman from Texas who was implanted with the Cook Celect® Platinum Vena Cava Filter on April 20, 2015 at Denton Regional Hospital.
Celect Platinum is marketed as an improvement over the original Celect because it has radiopaque markers that help a doctor verify the placement. Otherwise, Platinum is nearly identical to the original.
The problem is that a number of studies have linked the Celect with high rates of perforation through the inferior vena cava, which is the largest vein in the body. Celect is implanted in this vein to catch blood clots.
The walls of the inferior vena cava are very thin because they carry “used” blood under low blood-pressure. In some cases, the needle-like legs of an IVC filter dig into the vein or puncture through.
Vena cava perforations do not usually cause serious symptoms, but they do make the filter harder to remove. Sharp pieces of the filter can also lacerate internal organs or tissues nearby.
In one study, 43% of Celect filters perforated the vein within two months. In another study, all patients with the Celect had “some degree” of perforation within 71 days. Perforation rates increase the longer Celect remains implanted.
Cook Medical is accused of selling a defective medical device, failing to conduct adequate safety tests, or warn about the device’s risks.
The lawsuit was filed on December 2, 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (Indianapolis Division) — Case No. 1:16-cv-03275.
It will be centralized with over 1,100 other IVC filter lawsuits now pending 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.
Ben C. Martin is a trial attorney based in Dallas, Texas who serves as the plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel in the Cook IVC Filter MDL.
Editor’s note: For more information about IVC Filter lawsuits and your legal rights, please contact The Law Offices of Ben C. Martin.