The Cook Medical lawsuit is now over. The company was accused of negligence because they allegedly issued blood clot filters that were defective. The United States District Court of the Southern District of Indiana issued a judgment that was in favor of Cook Medical. Arthur Gage was the one who filed the Cook Medical lawsuit. They stated that he had waited too long to file the lawsuit.
Mark Breedlove is the vice president of the vascular division of Cook Medical. He stated that the IVC filters are extremely successful and critical to the well-being of the patients. He also stated that they are dedicated to providing lifesaving devices to patients. Additionally, Cook Medical will continue to defend their IVC filters in the future.
The device is used to prevent a pulmonary embolism from forming. This is a condition that occurs when the blood clot travels from another part of the body to the lungs. Blood clots can often be fatal. It is estimated that 100,000 lives are saved by the blood clot filters every year.
Doctors placed a Cook Gunter-Tulip Filter inside of Arhur’s vena cana. This is the vein that carries blood to the heart. According to court documents, the device was placed in 2011.
Arthur began to immediately experience chest pain and shortness of breath after getting the device implanted. He was told that the device had put a hole in his vena cana. Doctors told him that removing the device would be too risky.
However, Arthur did not file the lawsuit until November 2014, which was three years. Court documents stated that the lawsuit would have had to be filed within one year in order for it to be valid.
Cook Medical has had over 3,000 lawsuits filed against it because people have had issues with the blood clot filters. Many of the lawsuits have been unified. Multiple cases are often seen by one judge in a district. People who filed the Cook Medical lawsuit allege that the device pierced their blood vessels and organs. In some cases, the devices had to be surgically removed.
Judge Richard Young who works for the United States District Court of Indiana oversaw every case because the Cook Medical headquarters are in Bloomington. He selected three cases to be bellwether cases. These are cases that are used to gauge the outcome of future cases.
Arthur’s case was the second bellwether case. The court ruled in favor of Cook Medical during the first lawsuit. There is a third bellwether case that is scheduled for later on this year.
It is estimated that 200,000 people get one of these blood clot filters every year. They generate a profit of $435 million every year. They have a high success rate. They are often used when patients do not respond to other treatments.
Doctors will have to consider whether the benefits of getting one of these devices outweigh the potential risks. In addition to blood vessel and organ perforation, there are many other risks that are associated with getting one of these treatments. There is a possibility that a person can get an infection. Bleeding and bruising in the site are some of the other possible side effects.
Learn more about Medical Device Lawsuits.