Exciting Breakthroughs in IVC Filter Removal

ivcfilter

Years of product complications and mounting litigation have left an unflattering brand on IVC filters. Patients continue to experience problems with the troublesome medical devices.

Part of what our national litigation team at Hotze Runkle PLLC has learned in dealing with the patients affected by IVC filters is that there is often as much trouble with removing these products as there is living with them.

The reasons to consider removal are often the same ones that make extracting an IVC filter so difficult. Whether the filter has torn or blocked a vein, or pieces of the metallic devices have traveled elsewhere, safely removing an IVC filter can be a dangerous undertaking.

Luckily, recent breakthroughs in IVC filter removal look promising for patients living with the pains and medical concerns caused by the devices.

Cutting-Edge Innovations

The fact that these filters break down and inevitably require removal should not be all that surprising. Filters of all sorts need to be replaced in order to prevent potential issues.

What is alarming is that follow-ups to determine the status of IVC filters are not always done, even with the knowledge that most complications arise within three to six months.

#IVC filter complications can begin in as little as 3 to 6 months #Fact Click To Tweet

This urgent need is what motivated a team of interventional radiologists at Rush University Medical Center to develop a safe and effective method of removing the filters.

The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology published the latest techniques developed by the team in November of last year.

Lead author Osman Ahmed, MD, reflected the confidence of the interventional radiologists involved when he stated that they were able to remove any filter with this new method, regardless of the situation.

This innovative system for IVC filter removal centers around catching – or “snaring” – the device during a procedure to ensure that it doesn’t move. This minimizes the chance that additional damage is done to the vein.

Once this is done, the doctors cover the device so that no pieces break off and travel elsewhere in a patient’s body.

An excimer laser is one of the tools utilized by the team to make this technique possible. These lasers are commonly used in the production of microelectronics and eye surgery.

The confidence put forth by Ahmed is well-founded as the Rush staff has successfully retrieved 100 percent of IVC filters with their methods over the last five years.

#RushUMC has 100% #IVCfilter removal rate with new method over last 5 yrs Click To Tweet

Making a Difference Where It Really Matters

While skeptics may be quick to wonder if these are primarily standard procedures, this is not the case.

Many of these procedures were performed on referred patients that required the team to deal with filters that other hospitals had deemed too difficult to remove.

Twilight (conscious) sedation is typically used for these minimally invasive outpatient procedures. If the Rush staff feel that a retrieval may take longer, a patient is given general anesthesia.

The incision made for removing an IVC filter is made either in the neck or the groin. The team uses X-rays to guide the tools they use, such as wires and catheters, to remove a filter.

The necessity to remove IVC filters is because of the inherent dangers associated with leaving the devices inside a patient’s body for too long. The FDA recommends that everyone who has an IVC filter should consult with an interventional radiologist about removing the filter. Regardless of whether removal is recommended, all patients should be evaluated.

#FDA says the length of time left implanted may increase IVC filter complication risks #HotzeRunkle Click To Tweet

If you or someone you know has been harmed by complications with an IVC filter, contact the national litigation team of Hotze Runkle PLLC today at 877-919-0830.

Our experienced legal team can help you determine if you are entitled to compensation for the suffering you have experienced.

Don’t let your voice be taken away. We will take care of you and your family by holding those who failed to, accountable.


Alternative Treatments to IVC Filters

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The majority of makers and distributors of IVC filters across the country find themselves entangled in litigation.

These widely-used devices, which are typically used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms, have a long-standing reputation for being dangerous and harmful to patients who have had them implanted.

Strangely, these companies have still persist in marketing and selling their products. Even in the face of countless reports of injuries, complications – and even death.

Hotze Runkle PLLC knows that these companies have to be held accountable for the suffering they have caused. Their disregard for the wellbeing of patients is both inhumane and criminal.

People should know that even though IVC filters are a common choice to combat DVT and pulmonary embolisms, there are other treatment options available to them.

Potential Alternatives to IVC Filters

Anticoagulants

This is the alternative choice that is most commonly used instead of an IVC Filter. Anticoagulants, or blood thinners, can be given to post-surgery patients to help minimize the risk of strokes and blood clots.

A typical blood thinner therapy plan begins with a patient being given heparin for several days. This will be accompanied by the start of a warfarin treatment that can last anywhere between three to six months.

The reason that these plans begin with heparin is that warfarin usually needs a number of days to reach its peak effectiveness. Heparin helps bridge that initial time gap between surgery and when warfarin reaches its full potency.

However, this alternative is not without drawbacks of its own. People who have medical issues that make them more likely to have severe bleeding incidents can’t take anticoagulants.

Patients with kidney problems and clotting disorders are among those who have to seek out additional treatment avenues as well.

Additionally, if the threat of DVT or pulmonary embolisms is a recurring issue, there is no definite timetable for how long a patient would have to use blood thinners.

Over time, these medications can cause scarring in a patient’s veins and potentially increase the risk of blood clots.

Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC)

If circumstances and medical status prevent the use of blood thinners, a person might consider IPC treatment. In spite of the complex name, this is a relatively simple treatment method.

A patient will have an inflatable sleeve placed over the part of the body where there is risk of blood clots – often times the leg – but not always. That sleeve is connected to an air pump.

The air inflates the sleeve which in turn pushes the blood away from the trouble area to the patient’s heart. When the sleeve deflates, it allows for blood to return to where it started.

The continual process helps facilitate regular blood circulation, minimizing the likelihood of a clot forming.

Thrombolysis & Surgery

These two choices are not used as frequently but should be weighed if a patient is not a candidate for or comfortable with other treatment options.

Thrombolysis is a procedure that involves the use of a catheter to quickly break up a clot and return a vein’s blood flow to normal. There is a relatively high success rate (80%) associated with this type of treatment.

Occasionally, surgery can be employed as a solution to a blood clot. This is only done in very rare and unusual cases involving clots that are very large and blocking important blood vessels.

If you or someone you know has suffered from an implanted IVC filter, Hotze Runkle PLLC wants you to know what your legal options are.

As with all medical decisions, Hotze Runkle PLLC encourages you to speak with your physician when deciding on how to face issues with DVT or pulmonary embolisms. It is vital that you consider all the alternatives to IVC filters.

Our experienced team of attorneys can help you in your fight against the companies who made your well-being secondary to their bottom line. Contact our national litigation firm today at (877) 919-0830 and let us take care of you and your family.

Disclaimer: THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information presented in this blog and on this site should not be interpreted as a substitute for qualified professional medical advice.


The Companies Behind Problem IVC Filters

Statement of personal injury form with patient chart and stethoscope.

While we can sympathize and empathize with the victims who have suffered adverse effects because of the use of IVC filters, the negligent companies behind them seem faceless and nameless.

The national litigation team at Hotze Runkle PLLC understands the importance of getting to know the people we are fighting for on a personal level. We also believe it is equally important for us to know about the reckless companies who have put these innocent people in harm’s way by disregarding data that showed their products were dangerous.

By the Names and Numbers

In deciding whether or not to pursue legal action for an injustice suffered, it is natural to ask if there is any precedent or history of similar cases.

For patients who have had trouble with IVC filters, there is an ever-growing body of cases to draw on. There are almost 4000 filed lawsuits currently pending in two separate federal litigations against the two largest makers of these devices.

Nearly 4000 lawsuits against 2 largest IVC makers #HotzeRunkle #NationalLitigation #Fighting4You Click To Tweet

However, these two makers – Cook Medical and C.R. Bard – are not alone in facing potential legal consequences.

Cordis Corporation, a smaller company that also produces the filters, is also involved in around 200 cases of their own. Rex Medical, B. Braun, and Argon Medical are additional companies that distribute IVC filters who are facing lawsuits in federal and state court over the side effects associated with their products.

Still, none of the companies face more penalties and consequences than Cook Medical. The Gunther Tulip and Celect IVC models they market are at the heart of many of the claims levied against them.

The U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, is currently handling all the pretrial steps for the multidistrict litigation on these cases.

C.R. Bard has a number of its models that have had injury claims directed against them. The hundreds of lawsuits focus on issues that have arisen with their Denali, Recovery, G2, and Meridian models.

The OptEase and TrapEase filters are the products that have brought suits against Cordis Corporation.

The Role of the FDA

Compounding the indifference from the distributors of IVC filters was the slow response from the FDA. Even after having received reports, in the thousands, for years concerning the negative and deadly effects of the filters, they didn’t issue a warning against them until 2010.

A subsequent warning from the FDA in 2014 advised the removal of IVC filters after a month or two followed their initial warning.

A year later, NBC followed up with a report of their own claiming that C.R. Bard had disregarded these warnings and continued to sell their products, in spite of the injuries and death associated with them.

The events covered in the report highlighted many of the common issues faced by patients who had, for various medical reasons, the devices implanted. These risks included the IVC filters puncturing the vena cava and breaking apart and moving out of place.

In some cases, the metal pieces that broke off traveled to other parts of the body, like the heart and lungs.

C.R. Bard failed to respond to these issues and also failed to pass the warnings along to doctors.

Hotze Runkle PLLC’s national litigation firm is here to provide you with the legal guidance you need and to fight for the justice you deserve.

Regardless of whether or not the IVC filter model that you have had implanted appears above, there is a high risk of harm that comes with any version of them.

We here at Hotze Runkle PLLC advise you to speak with your doctor or qualified physician on the potential risks you could face while using an IVC filter if you haven’t already struggled with their dangerous failures.

If you or someone you know has been injured because of their use of an IVC filter, contact Hotze Runkle PLLC today at (877) 919-0830.

Don’t suffer quietly or alone. These companies must be held responsible for the pain they have caused innocent victims.


The Number of Taxotere Lawsuits Continues to Grow

A woman being treated for breast cancer using chemotherapy poses for a portrait.
There has been increased momentum in the Taxotere lawsuits that are currently undergoing discovery and various pretrial steps in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

Altogether, there are now over 1,100 suits filed by breast cancer patients who have experienced permanent alopecia (hair loss) as a result of taking the chemotherapy drug Taxotere.

Over 1000 lawsuits filed against chemotherapy drug #Taxotere have been filed #HotzeRunkle #LawTeam Click To Tweet

One factor that has contributed to this high number of cases is that lawsuits involving both Taxotere (docetaxel) and its generic versions are included in the consolidated litigation.

Hotze Runkle PLLC recognizes the importance of the path these proceedings will take. It is vital to future cases and to the lives of affected patients that the manufacturer of Taxotere, Sanofi-Aventis, be required to answer for the suffering they have caused.

Looking Back as Things Move Forward

There is a monthly status conference scheduled for July 7th, which should provide more concrete dates for the trials moving forward.

Perhaps the most promising news that has come out of pretrial developments is that a request by Sanofi-Aventis lawyers to have the suits litigated on an individual basis was not approved.

The request came in spite of years of data showing a repeated pattern of Sanofi-Aventis ignoring the potential of long-term hair loss in patients treated with Taxotere.

In 2012, in the Annals of Oncology, a study was done on 20 patients who were treated with Taxotere during their therapy. Every patient in the study experienced a lasting alopecia.

While that may be an extreme example, a study conducted by Sanofi itself showed the same risks for Taxotere users as far back as the late 1990s.

This study, known as GEICAM 9805, yielded results that showed nine percent of patients who were given Taxotere were afflicted with hair loss that lasted ten years or more.

Those chronic side effects were still not enough for Sanofi-Aventis to provide more than a vague warning concerning hair loss on Taxotere packaging.

In some cases, the alopecia experienced by patients in this study was not restricted to just the scalp. The loss of eyebrows was another long-term consequence for at least one woman in Canada.

#Alopecia (hair loss) can affect more than just the #scalp. #HotzeRunkle #Facts Click To Tweet

One case that comes up most often is the lawsuit filed by Ami Dodson.

A former breast cancer patient from California who used the drug during her chemotherapy treatment has made a number of allegations against the defendants, concerning events that go as far back as 1996 – over 20 years ago.

The fact that the timeline of her claims stretches back to this year is no accident. It was in 1996 that docetaxel was first approved by the FDA for use in breast cancer therapy.

Dodson was one of the earliest to voice opposition to Sanofi’s marketing of Taxotere as more effective and less toxic in comparison to other chemotherapy drugs. Her suit is something of a template case illustrating how the potential side effects of Taxotere have resulted in lasting, chronic hair loss.

Mrs. Dodson’s case, as well as all those currently pending in Louisiana, should serve as a reminder to all those affected by Taxotere that they don’t have to remain silent.

The national litigation team of Hotze Runkle PLLC is here to help you figure out the legal rights and options that you have.

You can fight back against the negligence and indifference of Sanofi-Aventis and get justice for your troubles.

The time to act is now. Contact our national litigation team today at 512-476-7771 and let us go to work for you. We want to bring you the peace of mind you need to move forward in life.