Bard PowerPort Device Failures Linked to Serious Health Risks
If you or someone you know suffered an injury from using a Bard PowerPort, Cory Watson’s experienced product liability attorneys can help. To contact an attorney, call 877-562-0000 or fill out our 100% free case evaluation form.
About the Bard PowerPort
Implantable ports are commonly used with patients who need frequent, or long-term IV treatments, blood draws, or blood transfusions, like those with cancer requiring chemotherapy infusions and possibly transfusions of various blood products. These types of devices have been in regular use for decades.
The PowerPort ClearVUE Implantable Port is a newer type of port that Bard markets as being particularly flexible and thus resistant to surface degradation and stress cracking. The device is made of a polyurethane plastic and consists of a septum where the needle is inserted to administer the treatment and a longer tube or catheter that goes into a blood vessel and allows direct access to the patient’s bloodstream.
Bard PowerPort Injuries
Unfortunately, the Bard PowerPorts medical devices are causing injuries at a higher rate than other types of ports. These injuries occur when metal needles come into contact with the plastic inside the catheter, creating small holes and scratches in the material. This allows for bacteria to collect on the surface of the catheter, potentially leading to serious, and sometimes deadly, infections and sepsis.
The Bard PowerPort also includes barium sulfate mixed in with the plastic which is intended to make the port visible on certain types of imaging. Once implanted though, the barium sulfate further decreases the structural integrity of the PowerPort, leading to more degradation of the device as well as the potential for the device to fracture and even migrate to other parts of the patient’s body. The Bard PowerPort has also been linked with blood clots.
August 2023 PowerPort Update: Numerous Lawsuits are Being Filed
The number of lawsuits related to the Bard PowerPort has increased substantially over the last several months, with at least 48 lawsuits being in 25 different federal judicial districts all across the country. Because of that, lawyers involved with these cases filed for consolidation with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML).
On August 8, 2023, the JPML entered an order consolidating all Bard PowerPort cases in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona in front of Judge David G. Campbell. Judge Campbell will now handle all common elements of these cases, up to and likely including several bellwether, or test case, trials. This is what typically happens in cases like this where many people have been injured by the same type of defective product, and having all cases consolidated before one Judge will help keep all cases moving as efficiently as possible.
Do I have a Potential Bard PowerPort Case?
You may have a case if you had a Bard PowerPort implanted and suffered from one or more of the following injuries:
- Device breakage or fracture
- Infection diagnosed more than 90 days after the port was implanted
- Blood clots
- Device migration
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Perforation of tissues, blood vessels, or organs
- Necrosis around the port site
- Cardiac/pericardial tamponade
How Do I Contact an Attorney to File a Bard PowerPort Lawsuit?
If you had a Bard PowerPort implanted and have suffered an injury, you should contact a Cory Watson product liability attorney for a 100% free case consultation. Our nationwide lawyers are accepting cases from all 50 states.
Call (877)-562-000 now or tell us about your case by filling out the contact form on the side of this page.
About Cory Watson Attorneys
Cory Watson Attorneys is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm with offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, and Nashville, Tennessee. The firm has recovered more than $4 Billion for clients across the country. Cory Watson attorneys are frequently at the forefront of major class actions and multidistrict litigations involving dangerous pharmaceuticals and product liability and are often appointed to leadership positions in national cases. Firm practice areas include Personal Injury, Product Liability, Class Action, Asbestos, Business & Commercial Litigation.