Drug Coated Stent Injuries
Defective Medical Device Lawyer
Drug coated stents or drug eluting stents, have been effective in reducing the risk of arterial reclogging after an angioplasty, but have also been found to result in new complications that can place patients implanted with these at a serious risk of a heart attack, possibly resulting in death.
Handling product liability claims related to medical devices is a complex and time-consuming process, but the defective product lawyers at Arnold & Itkin are highly experienced in dealing with these matters. If a drug coated stent caused serious injury to you or someone you love, or led to the loss of a family member, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. A product liability attorney at our firm can provide you with a confidential analysis and review of your case to determine how to best proceed.
Not only is your initial consultation free of charge, but we handle defective medical device claims on a contingent fee basis. You pay no legal fees unless we win your case!
What is a drug coated stent?
A stent is a tube made of metal or plastic that is inserted into an artery during an angioplasty procedure to hold apart the walls of the artery. These stents remain implanted after a balloon angioplasty to prevent the arterial walls that have been cleared from closing in again. Since their introduction in the nineties, however, the stents have been found to be unable to prevent the growth of cells over the stents, leading to a clog in the artery again. To solve this problem and prevent arterial reclogging (restenosis) through cell growth, surgeons began implanting drug coated stents or drug eluting stents in place of the plain tubes that were used earlier. These devices received approval in 2003 and worked by slowing releasing medication over a period of time to prevent new cell growth and scarring at the site of the stent. Any new clogging of the artery, it was believed, could thus be prevented, and the technique found great favor among medical professionals. The companies that manufactured these stents, including Cordis Corporation with its Cypher Sirolimus Eluting Coronary Stent and Boston Scientific Corporation with its Taxus Express Paclitaxel Eluting Coronary Stent System saw billions of dollars in sales as over one million Americans were implanted with the drug coated stents.
Negative Effects of Drug Coated Stents
The stents were able to eliminate the cell growth problems that plagued the earlier stents, but new complications began to emerge. The presence of the stents contributed to a blood clot formation in the artery that could potentially lead to blockage. It appeared that patients might have traded the risk of restenosis with another risk of thrombosis, or the formation of a blood clot in the artery.
Reports of injuries and death began to surface and one estimate published on the website of the American College of Cardiology estimated that the number of deaths caused due to stent related thrombosis or blood clotting in the artery was greater than 2000. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration clarified that it had received scientific data that suggested an increased risk of thrombosis leading to a cardiac arrest and death in patients implanted with the medicated stents.
Product Liability Attorney for Drug Coated Stent Injuries
You can find out more about your legal options if you have lost a loved one or have been seriously injured because of a defective drug coated stent. Though these cases are highly technical and may be difficult for less experienced lawyers to handle, our legal team is confident in our ability to provide the representation you need. By calling our firm, you can schedule a consultation to review your case.
Contact a product liability lawyer for more information.