Xcela Port Lawsuit Claims AngioDynamics Catheter Caused Thrombosis

Lawsuit blames materials used in catheter for device failure and potentially deadly side effects from blood clots.

A Florida woman implanted with an AngioDynamics Xcela port catheter has filed a product liability lawsuit after suffering injuries from blood clots she says were caused by the implant’s defective design.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Kimberly Daniels in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on June 1, naming AngioDynamics Inc. and Navilyst Medical Inc. as the defendants.

Daniels claims the companies knew for years that Xcela catheters were associated with thrombosis, infections and other serious complications as the catheter deteriorated, yet the manufacturers continued to market the devices as safe and effective

AngioDynamics Port Catheter Problems

AngioDynamics is the manufacturer of several types of port catheters, such as the Xcela, Smart Port and Vortex Port, which are medical implants designed to give doctors long-term access to patients’ veins for repeated injections of fluids and medications, such as when undergoing chemotherapy. They include a port, implanted beneath the skin, and a catheter leading from the port into a blood vessel.

However, port catheters from AngioDynamics and other manufacturers, including C.R. Bard, have been linked to increasing reports of thrombosis, infections and other serious complications, as blood products and biofilm collect in the catheters’ cracks and across their degraded surfaces.

In light of these concerns, an increasing number of AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuits are being brought by patients who allege the manufacturers have been aware of problems with the devices for years, yet continued marketing them as safe and effective. These filings argue that the companies refused to change catheter designs to safer alternatives, and should have made sure that physicians and patients were adequately warned of the potential for device failure and health risks.

AngioDynamics Xcela Thrombosis Allegations

According to the Xcela lawsuit, Daniels was first implanted with the AngioDynamics port catheter in May 2022. However, before the end of that year it had already failed, exposing her to a dangerous occlusive thrombus. This condition is a kind of blood clot that blocks vessels, preventing blood from flowing past.

Daniels goes on to argue that had a clot broken free, it could have traveled to her heart or lungs. This could have caused a pulmonary embolism, which can be lethal.

The lawsuit indicates AngioDynamics knew, or should have known, about this problem for years, yet hid the evidence of a problem from patients and the medical community.

“Rather than alter the design of the Xcela port to make it safer or adequately warn physicians of the dangers associated with the Xcela port, Defendants continued to actively and aggressively market the Xcela port as safe, despite their knowledge of numerous reports of catheter infection and associated injuries.”

– Kimberly Daniels v. AngioDynamics Inc. et al.

The filing raises allegations of negligence, failure to warn, design defect, breach of warranty and fraudulent concealment. It seeks general damages for past, present and future medical expenses, as well as other relief.

Port Catheter Lawsuits

Daniels’ complaint will be centralized with nearly 400 similar AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuits in the Southern District of California before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta, who is overseeing coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

During the course of the litigation, Judge Ohta will have the parties select several cases representative of claims as a whole to be prepared for “bellwether” trials. Given the large amount of similar evidence and testimony shared between cases, this is an opportunity to see how receptive juries will be to their arguments.

Although the verdicts of those trials are not binding on other cases, the outcomes will be closely watched by both parties, who could use the results as the basis for an AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuit settlement.

Comparable claims have been advanced in thousands of Bard PowerPort lawsuits pending in the District of Arizona, where plaintiffs allege that C.R. Bard and its parent company, Becton, Dickinson and Company, marketed implantable port catheters that were susceptible to cracking, thrombosis and other serious injuries.

The first Bard PowerPort bellwether trial concluded last month with a defense verdict. Jurors rejected claims that the manufacturers failed to provide adequate warnings or engaged in consumer fraud. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on allegations that the devices were defectively designed or that the companies violated state unfair trade practices laws.

The mixed outcome is expected to increase attention on upcoming bellwether trials, which could provide further insight into how juries view the competing scientific evidence and legal arguments at the center of the litigation.

Additional Bard PowerPort bellwether trials are currently scheduled for July 7, August 18, October 13, December 1, and February 2, 2027. If those proceedings fail to produce settlements or other resolutions, individual lawsuits may eventually be returned to federal courts nationwide for separate trial dates.

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