Stent lawsuits have been filed across the United States in response to the reactions and failure of drug eluting and metal stents. Here is a comprehensive guide to stents and how you may be entitled to compensation due to the failure of a stent or a bad reaction to a medicated stent.
What is a stent? According to the U.S. Food and Drug administration, a stent is “…a small, lattice-shaped, metal tube that is inserted permanently into an artery.” The stent is a medical device designed to help hold an artery open and maintain its diameter and it can be used in multiple procedures to aid coronary arteries, the common bile duct, ureters, the esophagus or other blood vessels. The idea is that a stent maintains blood and oxygen flow throughout the body and to specific locations to maintain overall health.
Stents are inserted in a collapsed state, therefore maintaining a tiny diameter, and are expanded when they are put in place by using a small balloon. Once they are expanded, they maintain their form and are left in the body, eventually being covered by skin tissue. In some instances, the skin tissue occludes the space created by the stent, requiring reinsertion.
There are two kinds of stents, simple metallic or bare metal stents and drug eluting stents. The main difference is that drug eluting stents are coated with medication that is supposed to prevent rejection and inflammation while a bare metal stent is not coated. Stents are primarily inserted through endoscopic procedures because they are very effective for patients with advanced diseases who can’t tolerate the rigors of invasive surgery.
There have been instances where defective stents have failed in some manner or have caused extremely negative reactions. Specifically, stents have caused allergic reactions in some patients because of the medicated coating on drug eluting stents. Some patients have developed significant blood clots putting them at risk for heart attacks. Other stents have failed functionally during insertion which has put patients at risk for major surgeries and even causing death in some cases.
Because of these problems, many people have subsequently files stent lawsuits to cover medical expenses, loss of pay and for pain and suffering as a result of product liability. In some cases, stent manufacturers have been found liable due to “failure to warn” and due to problems in production that resulted in a product that could not function properly. A stent malfunction is a serious medical problem defect and if you have been hurt or injured by a Taxus stent or a Guidant stent you should know your rights.
If you have had a problem with a reaction to a stent or a stent malfunction, or if you know someone who has suffered from this product malfunction, they may be eligible to file a product liability lawsuit. The key is to ensure that they do not miss their window of opportunity since many states do impose a statute of limitations on product liability lawsuits. Another important factor towards ensuring a successful stent lawsuit is to hire an experienced litigation group with medical device lawsuit experience. These attorneys will be able to ensure that your medical device lawsuit is handled properly.