We have helped to secure more than $80 billion in jury verdicts and settlements since 1955.
The Bard PowerPort lawsuits claim the implantable catheter devices are defective, creating possible infections and catheter failures that can lead to thrombosis, stroke, and death.
Our law firm is investigating cases where PowerPort implants have fractured or failed, causing injuries and requiring the removal of the devices.
We have been handling lawsuits against medical device manufacturers since 1955. Each year we teach 2,000 attorneys how to successfully handle these cases. We are listed in Best Lawyers in America and The National Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.
The PowerPort lawsuits claim that individuals have suffered injuries, and even death, when PowerPort implantable vascular devices have failed. The purpose of these devices is to help administer intravenous medications, fluids, and nutrients into a patient’s bloodstream.
These medical devices are susceptible to catheter fractures, bacterial colonization, and other malfunctions, all of which can result in serious injuries.
Defendants in these lawsuits include the following corporations involved in the design and sale of PowerPort implants:
According to the lawsuits, these businesses:
October 2023
As of October 16, 2023, the JPML reports the total number of cases in the Bard PowerPort MDL is 62. October also saw the request for a parallel class action multi-county litigation (MCL). More than 500 lawsuits against the implanted device manufacturer filed in New Jersey courts would be consolidated in a similar manner in which cases from multiple district courts have been consolidated in MDL 3081.
September 2023
As of September 16, 2023, 50 cases have been transferred to Arizona district court as part of MDL 3081. Applications for Plaintiffs’ lead counsel were due to be filed by September 11, 2023, per Judge Campbell’s Order Regarding Initial Case Management Conference, scheduled for September 18, 2023. Leadership Counsel appointments were announced in CMO No. 1, filed on September 19, 2023.
August 2023
The JPML announced its decision to consolidate all Bard PowerPort claims filed at the federal level in a multidistrict litigation (MDL 3081 IN RE: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation). All cases will be transferred to the District Court of Arizona under Sr. District Judge David G. Campbell. The MDL will serve to streamline the judicial process by enabling all cases to be unified for the purposes of discovery and pretrial matters.
June 2023
A motion was filed with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate all lawsuits against Bard Access Systems for their defective medical device. Currently, ten such claims are pending in various federal courts, with the expectation for many more in the next 12 months. Lawsuits allege the ports cause fractures, which can cause complications like infections and blood clots.
The PowerPort catheter uses barium sulfate to make the catheter visible on X-rays. This radiographic contrast agent can damage the catheter, resulting in leaks. Although manufacturers mix the substance into the silicon or polyurethane of the catheter, the barium sulfate particles fail to completely integrate into the catheter polymer, meaning they are not attached.
As the flexible catheter stretches and bends with a patient’s movement, the surface of the catheter experiences mechanical stress. Quickly, the barium sulfate particles begin to release.
The leaking barium sulfate particles cause cracks, notches, and holes in the surface of the catheter. This results in the following types of issues:
Patients who were implanted with these medical devices and experienced these adverse outcomes should consider calling an attorney who can investigate their cases.
According to adverse event reports the manufacturers received shortly after introducing these devices into the market, PowerPort complications caused several types of injuries, including:
Potential compensation from a PowerPort lawsuit settlement or verdict depends on the extent of your injury. Recoverable damages could include:
A Bard PowerPort lawsuit lawyer can talk to you about the specific details of your case and inform you regarding your potential recovery.
Our law firm started handling personal injury cases in 1955. Today, we are recognized as a national leader in lawsuits involving defective medical devices. We have received over 150 jury verdicts for $1 million or more, and have helped to secure jury verdicts and settlements in excess of $80 billion.
We are the founder of Mass Torts Made Perfect. This is a national conference attended by 2,000 lawyers each year where we teach how to successfully handle lawsuits against medical device manufacturers. For more information, please visit our About Us section.
Our lawyers provide free confidential case evaluations, and we never charge any fees or costs unless you first recover.
The contingency fee we charge ranges from 20% to 40%. The amount we charge is based on how much we recover for you. To review a summary of our fees and costs, click Fees & Costs.
To contact us for a free case evaluation, you can call us at (800) 277-1193. You also can request an evaluation by clicking Free & Confidential Bard PowerPort Evaluation Form. This form will be immediately reviewed by one of our attorneys handling the Bard PowerPort lawsuits.
The Bard access systems are implanted port products that are also commonly referred to as Injection Ports, Port-a-Catheters, and Port-a-Caths. These devices consist of an injection reservoir that is implanted under the patient’s skin. An attached catheter acts as a channel for intravenous therapies that have been injected into the reservoir.
With the implanted access system, there is no need to repeatedly access a patient’s peripheral vein.
Cancer patients and those with severe autoimmune disorders commonly receive chemotherapy treatment through these implanted ports.
According to Medline Plus, blood clots can form in and travel to blood vessels throughout vital areas and organs of the body, including the lungs, limbs, heart, brain, and kidneys. Once there, the clots can cause serious injuries, including:
When blood clots travel to other parts of the body, they can cause other health problems, such as:
PowerPort implants are being utilized throughout the country on a daily basis, and often lead to complications, which means there could be tens of thousands of potential lawsuits involving injured patients.
In May 2023, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) was petitioned to consolidate all the PowerPort lawsuits against the manufacturers before one federal court.
By creating a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL), the lawsuits would be combined for the purpose of gathering evidence and addressing pretrial issues, resulting in more consistent rulings and a smoother legal process.
This study involved a pool of 93,756 patients who received a port implant. Researchers found that within five years of having the device implanted there was a greater than 49% complication rate. Complications included arrhythmogenic and thromboembolic complications, infection, and mechanical complications, such as fracture of the catheter.
Researchers compared central venous port devices made of thermoplastic polyurethane and silicone rubber. According to the results, catheters using both materials showed small notches, which can act as breaking points for the devices. These notches connect to the loss of barium sulfate particles due to mechanical stress. According to the authors, materials with low mechanical properties, like silicone rubber, may cause “complete mechanical failure” of the medical device.
This randomized control trial tested the susceptibility to infection and thrombosis of intravascular catheters. Degraded catheters displayed prominent bacterial growth. Researchers concluded that catheters that experienced short-term exposure to the bloodstream released BaSO(4), barium sulfate, causing irregularities in the catheters’ surfaces, making them vulnerable to bacterial colonization.
In this comparative study, researchers tested 37 types of catheters made from polyurethane, silicone rubber, polyethylene, and polyvinylchloride for thrombogenesis in the sheep’s cephalic veins. According to Scanning electron microscopy, roughness was often linked to the presence of radiopaque particles that were used to make images clear in X-rays. Rougher-textured plastic catheters were typically more thrombogenic than smoother-surfaced catheters.
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