Lawsuits have been filed by people who were injured by catheters that broke off in their body and caused heart attacks, blood clots, organ damage, or required surgery.
Need a Texas Catheter Injury Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was injured by a broken catheter, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
UPDATE: Penumbra Jet 7 Catheters Recalled After 14 Deaths, 200 Adverse Events Reported
In December 2020, the FDA warned doctors to stop using Penumbra Jet 7 Xtra Flex catheters after 14 deaths and over 200 reports of injuries and malfunctions. The catheters are used to remove blood clots in stroke patients. The reported injuries include blood vessel damage, bleeding, hemorrhage, and stroke (cerebral infarction).
TFX Venture® Catheters – Class 1 Recall
June 2017 — TFX and Vascular Solutions have issued a Class 1 recall over 4,600 Venture® Catheters because the tip can break off in a patient’s blood vessel and cause an embolism, blood clots, organ damage, or death. Click here to read more.
Types of Catheters
Catheters are long flexible tubes that collect or inject fluid. The most well-known type is a urinary catheter that collects urine. Another common type is a cardiac catheter that injects dye into blood vessels so they can be seen on X-rays. Catheters are also used to diagnose diseases by taking tissue biopsies, or treat diseases by delivering medical devices like angioplasty balloons or stents.
Broken Catheters in the Body
Catheters help doctors get deep inside the body with minimally-invasive surgery. It is very serious when the shaft or tip breaks off. The original procedure is likely to fail, and in many cases, the patient will require emergency surgery to remove the broken piece. If the piece is too dangerous to remove, or not causing symptoms, or the doctor does not notice, the catheter fragment may be left in the patient forever.
Catheter Injuries & Complications
- Urinary blockage
- Blood-flow blockage or occlusion
- Blood clots
- Stroke
- Kidney failure
- Intestinal failure
- Organ damage
- Catheter pieces in the bloodstream or organs
- Embolization to the heart or lungs
- Surgery
- Death
Cook Beacon Tip Catheter Recall
Over 4.1 million Cook Beacon-Tip Catheters were recalled in May 2016 because the tip could split or break off inside a patient’s heart. There were 42 injuries reported two smaller recalls the previous year.
Louisiana Man Files Catheter Injury Lawsuit
Covidien and Medtronic were hit with a catheter injury lawsuit in Louisiana. It was filed by Herman Helmer Jr., who was left with a broken piece of a catheter permanently embedded in an artery in his brain after a procedure to remove blood clots improve circulation.
The lawsuit was filed on September 29, 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana — Case No. 2:15-cv-04835.
Catheter Recalls in 2016
- Cook Medical Beacon-Tip Angiographic Catheter — Tip fracture and/or separation in the heart
- Boston Scientific Fetch 2 Aspiration Catheter — Shaft could break and block blood-supply to the heart
- Centurion Mini-Med Catheter — Excess material in the tip can cause blood clots, embolism, or death
- Stryker Angiodynamics Soft-Vu Omni Flush Cardiac Catheter — Tip can break off and block blood-flow to organs
- Vascular Solutions Twin-Pass Dual Access Catheter — Excess material in the tip can separate and cause embolism, injury, or death
- Medtronic Neurovascular — Pipeline, Alligator, X-Celerator, Ultra-Flow and Marathon Micro-Catheters — Coating can peel off and cause blood clots, brain damage, stroke, bleeding, or death
Johnson & Johnson Cordis Catheter Recall
In January 2008, Cordis Corp., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, issued a Class I recall for the Fire Star RX and Dura Star RX coronary balloon catheters due to “slow deflation or no deflation.” The balloon opens up clogged blood vessels in the heart.
Cordis Recalls Balloon Catheters Again
In June 2012, hundreds of Cordis Fire Star RX balloon catheters were recalled again for not deflating properly. One doctor had to “use force to withdraw the balloon from the patent.” There were at least 8 complaints in two months before the recall, but no injuries or deaths, according to MassDevice.
Texas Man Files Lawsuit: Catheter Left For 7 Years
In September 2016, a man from Texas filed a catheter injury lawsuit on behalf of his wife of 44 years who died from a massive heart attack. He blames her death on an 8-inch piece of a broken catheter that was left in her heart for more than 7 years, after a procedure in 2007.
Need a Catheter Injury Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our Texas catheter injury lawyers for a free lawsuit review.
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