Recently a woman from Oregon filed a personal injury and defective product liability lawsuit against Cook Celect IVC Filter. According to the plaintiff, Roberta L. Forbus the IVC Filter made by Cook Celect injured her internal organs. She accuses the manufacturer of negligence for selling a defective medical device, failing to warn about side effects, and concealing safety risks. In October 2015, she was implanted with a Cook Celect IVC filter at Salem Hospital and after few months from implantation the device injured her internal organs. The lawsuit was filed on August 26, 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (Indianapolis Division) under the Case No. 1:16-cv-02286.
The lawsuit of Roberta L. Forbus is represented by Ben C. Martin and Thomas Wm. Arbon of the Law Offices of Ben C. Martin in Dallas, Texas. The case was centralized in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2570). Another 800 lawsuits are pending in a similar lawsuit against Cook Medical consolidated federal litigation in Indiana. The lawsuits claim that manufacturers failed to warn the general public about the potential health risks associated with the device. Plaintiffs’ claims that the medical devices were defectively designed and caused patients to be injured after receiving the Cook Celect IVC filters. The devices should be completely tested as well as have clinical trial before selling in market.
The Cook Celect is an improved version of the Gunther Tulip, which was approved in 1992. Celect is a temporary filter that is implanted in the inferior vena cava (IVC). It traps a blood clot before it can reach the lungs. The Celect was designed as a retrievable IVC filter, so it should be removed once the blood clot risk has diminished. In 2008 Cook Medical introduced its Celect IVC Filter and it was approved by the Food & Drug Administration’s controversial 510(k) clearance loophole, which allows devices to enter the market so long as they are “substantially equivalent” to existing devices.
Risks Associated With IVC Filters
The risks associated with IVC filters are severe as well as life threatening and in some cases death. As per a study in the journal Cardiovascular Interventional Radiology published in 2012 reported 100% of Cook Celect and Gunther Tulip IVC filters perforated patients’ venal cava wall in less than 3 months after being implanted. The study also reported that 40% of the filters were tilted and out of position. Unfortunately, increased use of the devices has also resulted in increased concern over potential complications. The major risks associated with the device are future thrombosis, filter fractures, migrations, perforations, and tilting.
The Celect® IVC Filter can fracture and migrate throughout the body, causing embolisms, strokes, and other serious complications. Some common symptoms of IVC Filter Complications are Heart rhythm problems, severe chest pain, Lightheadedness and Shortness of breath. Celect is a temporary IVC Filter and provide only short-term protection. The FDA safety communication states that the risk of device perforation greatly increased the longer the device stayed in the body and recommending they be removed after 39 days, but before 54 days.
If you or someone you love suffered complications or death from any of Cook’s IVC Filters (including the Celect®) Contact Drugsclaim.com. All cases are pursued on a contingency fee basis there are never any out-of-pocket costs to hire our Cook filter attorneys unless we win your case. The Medical Device Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Cook Celect IVC Filter Lawsuits.