SmartPort Catheter Lawsuit Claims Defective AngioDynamics Port-a-Cath Caused Infection

Lawsuit alleges defects in an AngioDynamics SmartPort allowed bacteria and biofilm to accumulate on the implanted device, leading to serious complications.

A woman has filed a SmartPort catheter lawsuit alleging defects in an AngioDynamics implantable port-a-cath required doctors to surgically remove the device after she suffered from recurrent bloodstream infections and a severe arm infection.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Dana M. Brasher in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on July 7, naming AngioDynamics Inc. and Navilyst Medical Inc. as defendants.

Brasher claims the AngioDynamics SmartPort CT device was defectively designed and manufactured, allowing bacteria, blood products and other materials to accumulate on the surface of the catheter and increase the risk of serious infections.

SmartPort Catheter Infection Risks

Implantable port catheters are devices placed beneath the skin to provide ongoing access to the bloodstream for chemotherapy, medications, blood products and other intravenous treatments. Systems such as the AngioDynamics SmartPort, Vortex Port and Xcela generally consist of a small reservoir connected to a flexible catheter that delivers fluids directly into a vein.

However, AngioDynamics and other port catheter manufacturers, including C.R. Bard, have faced mounting product liability claims in recent years involving infections, blood clots, catheter fractures and other serious complications. Plaintiffs allege defects in the materials and design of certain devices can cause catheter surfaces to deteriorate, allowing bacteria and blood products to accumulate and increasing the risk of dangerous medical problems.

As a result, patients nationwide have filed a growing number of AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuits, alleging the company knew its devices were prone to failure but continued selling them without adequately warning patients or the medical community about the risks.

SmartPort Catheter Lawsuit

According to Brasher’s lawsuit, doctors implanted her with an AngioDynamics SmartPort CT in February 2023 to provide long-term vascular access for medical treatment.

In the months that followed, Brasher allegedly developed recurrent bloodstream infections, as well as a severe infection and abscess in her arm.

The complications ultimately required hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics and additional medical treatment. Doctors surgically removed the SmartPort in September 2023, about seven months after it was implanted.

Brasher claims defects in the SmartPort catheter allowed bacteria and biofilm to accumulate on the device, causing the infections and other complications.

The lawsuit alleges AngioDynamics used barium sulfate in the catheter material to make the device visible on medical imaging. However, Brasher maintains the material can degrade over time and create microscopic cracks, fissures and other surface irregularities that provide locations for bacteria and biofilm to collect.

The complaint indicates the manufacturers knew or should have known the SmartPort posed an increased risk of infections and other complications but failed to adequately warn patients and doctors.

Brasher also alleges safer alternative designs and materials were available that could have reduced the risk of catheter degradation, bacterial accumulation and infection.

“At all times relevant to this action, Defendants knew and had reason to know, that the SmartPort was not safe for the patients for whom they were prescribed and implanted, because once implanted the device was prone to fracturing, migrating, perforating internal vasculature and otherwise malfunctioning.”

— Dana M. Brasher v. AngioDynamics Inc. et al.

The filing raises allegations of negligence, strict liability—failure to warn, design defect, breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, fraudulent concealment and violation of Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act. It seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost income and other losses.

Port Catheter Lawsuits

The case is among hundreds of AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuits consolidated before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta in the Southern District of California, where the parties are conducting coordinated discovery and addressing common pretrial issues involving allegations that the company sold defectively designed implantable ports.

As the litigation moves forward, a limited number of representative claims are expected to be selected for bellwether trials. Although the verdicts will not determine the outcome of other lawsuits, they may provide insight into how juries view recurring evidence and allegations, potentially influencing future AngioDynamics port catheter settlement negotiations.

Thousands of similar Bard PowerPort lawsuits are also pending in a separate multidistrict litigation overseen by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell in the District of Arizona. Those claims allege design and manufacturing problems make the devices prone to fractures, blood clots, infections and other potentially serious complications.

The first Bard PowerPort bellwether trial ended in May with mixed results. Jurors rejected the plaintiff’s failure-to-warn and consumer fraud allegations but failed to reach a unanimous decision on design defect claims. The plaintiff later requested a new trial, maintaining that improper jury instructions affected the outcome.

Additional bellwether trials are scheduled through early 2027. If the proceedings do not lead to settlements or another resolution, individual claims could eventually be sent back to federal courts throughout the country for separate trials.

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