Cook Tag Archives — North Carolina Product Liability Lawyer Blog

People who get medical implants don’t do so out of boredom. They get the surgery because they have a serious medical problem or they want to prevent one. Many of these implants have benefits for patients while some, in addition to doing some good, also can do great harm. The Cook IVC filter may be a medical implant that not only may do you no good but can also do great harm, according to a recent study published in the medical journal Annals of Surgery.

What is a Cook IVC filter?

The Cook IVC filter is a wire device that looks like a cone shaped net. It is manufactured by Cook Group, Inc. The IVC filters are surgically inserted into a major vein, the inferior vena cava (IVC), of a patient who is at risk for a pulmonary embolism (or PE, a blood clot that passes into a lung, which can be fatal). The filter is supposed to trap or break up blood clots coming from the lower or middle part of the body. On first look it appears to be a great idea. But many medical emergencies have resulted from implantation of these IVC filters.

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed by those injured by Cook IVC filters and by the families of people who died because of them. The filters are often in patients too long; they can break up (with pieces going into the heart or lungs) or the entire filter can be pushed up near or into the heart, causing death or injuries.

Approximately 250,000 people have an IVC filter implanted each year. Each time it captures a blood clot and prevents it from moving into the heart or lungs, it is a great thing. Unfortunately, IVC filters often cause other health problems, sometimes as serious as the conditions they were designed to prevent. I wrote about the problems the IVC filter is causing many patients here.

Two corporations manufacture most of the IVC filters on the market: C.R. Bard, Inc. and Cook Medical, Inc. Lawsuits have been filed over Bard’s Recovery, G2, and G2 Express IVC filters. Lawsuits have also been filed over Cook’s Gunther Tulip and Celect IVC filters. Hundreds of people have been injured by these IVC filters. Try not to be one of them.

If you have an IVC filter implanted in your body, you must stay on high alert. I suggest taking the following actions if you have an IVC filter implant:

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Clay, thank you sir for making a disheartening experience at least palatable, you and your staff were honest, caring and understanding through the entire process of my wife’s hip replacements, while monetary settlements never make the pain and suffering end, it sometimes is the only way people can fight back to right a wrong. J. V.

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Articles Tagged with Cook

Study: Cook IVC Filter May Not Do You Any Good, and May Cause Harm

Seven Actions You Should Take If You Have An IVC Filter Implant