The Bard PowerPort is a port catheter device that is implanted beneath the skin to enable easy attachment to the catheter for intravenous medications and fluids. However, since this device was introduced, several people have faced problems, including cracking of the catheter port material that made it migrate or fracture. Such problems have led to severe blood clots, cardiac punctures, infections, and various other life-threatening injuries.
Bard Access Systems and Becton, Dickinson & Co. which is the parent company, are facing legal complaints from patients pointing out the side effects they faced after using this device. Most victims allege that Bard PowerPort critical design flaw is what breaks down the polyurethane tubing. This led to deep vein thrombosis and other severe complications in medically vulnerable patients.
These patients are filing their product liability lawsuits today, asking for both justice and compensation from the manufacturers. In this article, we will shed light on the health issues caused by Bard PowerPort and how to file a lawsuit to get compensated for your suffering.
Complications With the Bard PowerPort
The injuries that occur from Bard PowerPort complications range from minor to severe. It can include anything from embolisms and bloodstream infections to other fatal injuries. Recently, Ryan Meadors filed a port catheter lawsuit for the challenges he faced because of this device implantation.
Meadors opted for the Bard PowerPort in 2021 to receive immunoglobulin infusions. Sadly, within less than a year, he had to undergo surgery to remove this faulty device. He saw that the device started to deteriorate and made harmful bacteria gather, leading to an infection. Gradually, the infection became septic embolism, which made an infected blood clot block a blood vessel.
After a medical check-up, the healthcare provider could detect the infection source. Hence, Meadors had to undergo surgery to remove the device, which made him undergo extra physical, mental, and financial stress.
As a result, his lawsuit states several complaints of negligence against Bard Access Systems. He also mentioned that the brand manufactured a faulty product and failed to warn people about its inherent risks. Some plaintiffs even argued that Bard Access Systems consciously concealed the device’s critical defects and promoted sales.
Currently, Meadors’s lawsuit urges compensatory damages for reimbursing all his losses. It also asks to cover the punitive damages against every manufacturer for penalizing them and acting as a warning for all future negligence.
Faulty Device Composition Results in Injuries
The two principal components in catheter tubing include barium sulfate and polyurethane. If it is mixed in the right ratio, it generates durable and flexible tubing which can get threaded easily into the blood vessels. The problem with Bard PowerPort is that the catheter tubing has an excess of barium sulfate, which prevents it from getting mixed evenly with the polyurethane materials.
Hence, the barium sulfate develops into a clump and creates air pockets, which compromises the strength of the tubing. And as the polyurethane catheter tubing starts to break, the pieces result in blood clots. After that, the damaged surface develops into an infection site because of the accumulation of fatal bacteria.
The Complications Caused by Bard PowerPort Defective Design
The main problem with Bard PowerPort is the faulty structural integrity of its polyurethane catheter tubing. There have been several reports of the catheter tubing getting cracked, breaking into several pieces, and moving away from its initial implantation site.
This has made patients vulnerable to several health hazards, such as:
- Stroke
- Infection
- Organ damage
- Pulmonary embolism
- Vascular damage
- Heart attack
- Endocarditis
- Cardiac tamponade
- Brachial plexus injury
- Allergic reactions
- Bleeding
- Cardiac puncture
- Fibrin sheath formation
Patients must be watchful of these symptoms or any other injuries that they feel have occurred because of the faulty design of the device. Getting a medical examination is essential to prove that the Bard PowerPort is the root cause of the injury, which will help to take the correct legal action.
How to Seek a Legal Compensation?
Anyone who has used the Bard PowerPort device and has undergone health complications due to it qualifies to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for their suffering and loss. This is best done with the help of a lawyer who can guide them correctly through the entire claims process.
TorHoerman Law states that a trained lawyer can evaluate your case and decide whether you are eligible to file a lawsuit or not. Once you are, they will prepare a solid case that will help to cover all the economic and non-economic losses that you have undergone. However, for that, you need to submit every piece of evidence you have, including medical records, treatment data, employment records, photographs of the injury progression, and medical receipts.
Conclusion
The primary objective of every medical device is to ensure better patient outcomes. When a device results in infections and other severe health hazards, it is counterproductive. Patients must report the same by filing a lawsuit and raising awareness among other patients. Therefore, if you have used a Bard PowerPort and have faced adverse health complications, it is essential to seek medical and legal assistance.
