Bard PowerPort Lawsuit Overview

The FDA approved the Bard PowerPort in 2000, as a port cath device that is implanted under the skin to provide long-term and easy access to attach a catheter for the delivery of medication, intravenous fluids, parenteral nutrition solutions, and blood products.

Design problems with the Bard PowerPort have been linked to reports of serious injuries and deaths, after the catheter port material cracked, causing the catheter to fracture or migrate. These complications have resulted in severe infections, blood clots, cardiac punctures and many other life threatening injuries.

As a result of the apparent defective design of the implantable port, individuals are now pursuing Bard PowerPort injury lawsuits, claiming the manufacturer knew the catheters were prone to surface degradation that would put patients at serious risk.

Who is eligible for a Bard PowerPort lawsuit?

Financial compensation may be available through a Bard catheter lawsuit for individuals who received an implantable PowerPort and suffered any of the following complications:

• Infections (sepsis or septic shock)
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
• Hemorrhaging or Bleeding Injuries
• Cardiac/pericardial tamponade
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Severe and persistent pain
• Perforations of tissues, vessels and organs
• Patient death
• Other injuries caused by fractured PowerPort catheter

Bard PowerPort Injury Lawyers are reviewing lawsuits involving problems caused by various Bard catheter failures. Attorneys are handling cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no fees or expenses paid unless a settlement or lawsuit payout is received.

What is the Bard PowerPort device?

The Bard PowerPort ClearVue Implantable Port, is a vascular access device, which is implanted below the skin to provide a catheter port that allows easy delivery of medications to a patient’s bloodstream. It consists mainly of an injection port, where the needle is inserted to deliver medications; and a polyurethane catheter tube that carries the drug into the blood vessel.

The injection port contains a raised area where the needle is inserted for faster delivery of the medication. The medications then travel through a catheter that is placed inside one of the large central veins that carry blood to the heart.

Bard advertises that the PowerPort not only offers a faster and more convenient method of delivering medication or drawing blood, but that the PowerPort design can also withstand higher injection pressure.  However, a growing number of individuals are now reporting serious injuries and Bard PowerPort complications that could have been avoided with an alternative catheter port.

What is wrong with Bard PowerPort devices?

The PowerPort catheter tubes are made of a material that may be prone to fissuring, cracking and fracturing. The catheter tubing is made of a flexible polyurethane polymer called Chronoflex, which is a mixture of polyurethane and barium sulfate.

Lawsuits indicate that problems with the Bard PowerPort stem from the use of  high concentrations of barium sulfate, which is a chemical compound that is known to cause polyurethane’s mechanical integrity to break down, resulting in microfractures, degradation, fissuring and cracking.

Improper mixing during the manufacturing process may result in pockets of barium sulfate and entrapped air being distributed through the catheter body and surfaces, according to complaints filed.  This can result in catheter cracks, fissures and pits.  Surface degradation may also increase the risk of thromboembolism or blood clots.

Problems with Bard PowerPort Were Known for Years

In a number of Bard PowerPort injury lawsuits, plaintiffs maintain that the manufacturers knew or should have known about high rates of catheter fractures, migrations and infections being reported among individuals with the implanted port device shortly after their product was introduced in 2000.

Lawsuits indicate that serious and fatal injuries could have been avoided if a safer alternative design had been used, or a Bard PowerPort recall had been issued.

However, Bard Access Systems Inc., C.R. Bard, Inc. and Becton Dickson & Company failed to issue any warnings about the PowerPort problems for the medical community or initiate any post-marketing surveillance system to better identify reports of injury and death.  Instead, the manufacturers concealed their knowledge about problems with the Bard catheters and continued to actively advertise the PowerPort as safe.

Bard PowerPort Complications & Injuries

Bard catheter failures have been reported at high rates among individuals with the PowerPort. Some of the most frequently reported complications with Bard catheters include:

Is there a Bard PowerPort recall?

No. The medical device manufacturer has not issued a Bard PowerPort recall over the catheter risks.

Who is the Bard PowerPort lawsuit against?

The Bard PowerPort lawsuit is against the manufacturer, Becton Dickinson & Company, and its C.R. Bard and Bard Access Systems, Inc. subsidiaries.

Examples of Bard PowerPort Lawsuits

Bard PowerPort Lawsuit Over Bloodstream Infection: Mary Nelk filed a catheter infection lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on February 28, 2023, claiming the Bard PowerPort failed and caused her to develop a bloodstream infection. Nelk claims the defective design of Bard’s catheters caused her multiple hospital admissions and have left her with severe and permanent injuries.

Bard PowerPort Thrombosis Lawsuit: Patrice Terry filed a port-a-cath lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Western District of Missouri on February 10, 2023, claiming a fractured PowerPort device caused her to develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the jugular vein. Terry states that she was required to undergo major surgery as she was receiving chemotherapy through the PowerPort device to treat her colon cancer.

Have a Bard PowerPort Lawyer Review Your Case

If you or a loved one were injured by an implantable catheter port, submit information about your potential claim for review by a product liability lawyer to determine whether a Bard PowerPort settlement or lawsuit payout may be available.

Bard PowerPort injury lawyers provide free claim evaluations and consultations. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained in your case.