Lawsuits Claim Risk of Severe Complications from Bard PowerPorts Were Hidden From Consumers

Patients have filed lawsuits against Becton Dickinson and Company and its C.R. Bard and Bard Access Systems subsidiaries alleging that the companies failed to warn patients and the medical community about the severity of complications that may occur from the Bard PowerPort implant, including a life-threatening infection that an Illinois woman alleged in her recent lawsuit.

A new lawsuit filed by a woman in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey claims that the companies responsible for her implanted medical device, a Bard  PowerPort, were negligent in their design, manufacturing, marketing, advertising, distributing and selling practices. Becton Dickinson and Company and its C.R. Bard and Bard Access Systems subsidiaries, the companies behind the device, failed to properly test the device, the plaintiff claims, and that they knew or should have known about the risks associated with the device but did not warn consumers about the foreseeable dangers. The plaintiff was implanted with a PowerPort device for the treatment of breast cancer last year, according to the complaint. A few months later, the device got infected and she had to have it removed. She suffered septic shock and acute liver failure.

The woman’s story is unfortunately similar to many other patients who had a PowerPort device manufactured by Bard implanted to manage chemotherapy treatments. Several dozen others have filed lawsuits, alleging that their device fractured, migrated, or rotated after insertion, which led to injuries such as serious infections, blood clots, other health consequences, or emergency surgery to remove the device.

Over sixty (60) PowerPort lawsuits are centralized in the District of Arizona in what is known as an MDL.  The cases in the MDL are being coordinated for discovery and bellwether trials, which will test allegations that design defects in the PowerPort devices caused the port catheters to fracture or otherwise fail leading to infections, blood clots and other life-threatening injuries for many patients. Plaintiffs and defendants are proposing a selection of cases to be tried as early bellwether trials to establish a discovery pool. They will help gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the claims.

Is Your Bard PowerPort At Risk?

PowerPort lawsuits filed by injured plaintiffs name different kinds of implantable catheter ports manufactured by Bard. Many may be prone to fracturing or breakage, such as:

• Implanted Ports such as BardPort®, SlimPort®, and X-Port®
• Bard Power-Injectable Implantable Ports (PowerPorts®)
• PowerPort Implantable Port
• PowerPort ClearVUE Slim Implantable Port
• PowerPort Implanted Port with Groshong Catheter
• PowerPort MRI Implanted Port with 9.6 Fr Silicone Catheter
• PowerPort duo MRI Implantable Port
• Power-Injectable Implantable Ports with Chronoflex Polyurethane Catheters

If you were injured after being implanted with one of these devices above, or if you aren’t sure which one you may have, contact us today to discuss your unique situation. We may be able to help you file a claim to seek compensation.

Contact G&E Today to Discuss Your Potential Bard PowerPort Claim

If you or a loved one received a Bard PowerPort that fractured, cracked, migrated, or rotated, and required medical intervention (or resulted in death) or you experienced other adverse health complications due to the device, call us today. Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. attorneys can evaluate your potential claim with you during a completely free consultation.