Bard PowerPort Infection Lawsuit Claims Catheter Fractures Harbored Bacteria

Lawsuit claims barium sulfate used in the catheters’ construction was poorly designed and prone to crumbling and failure.

An Illinois man has filed a lawsuit alleging that the use of a defective material known as Chronoflex led to a Bard PowerPort port catheter infection, which resulted in the medical implant being removed after less than a year.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Dana Anthony Slater in Illinois circuit court on September 29, naming C.R. Bard Inc., Bard Access Systems Inc and Becton, Dickinson and Company as defendants. The case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 29.

Slater claims he was implanted with a Bard PowerPort device that failed because of the design of the catheter tube. He indicates the tube fractured and allowed bacteria into the implant site.

Bard PowerPort Failures

Bard’s PowerPort is an implanted catheter system designed to provide repeated access to a patient’s bloodstream for administering medications, fluids and other treatments. The device consists of a small port placed beneath the skin and a catheter threaded into a vein, allowing healthcare providers to deliver treatments without inserting a new IV line each time.

However, in recent years, Bard PowerPort devices and several similar port catheters manufactured by AngioDynamics have been linked to reports of device failures, infections, catheter migration, fractures, organ perforation and pulmonary embolisms. Many of these complications have been associated with the catheter material deteriorating, cracking or breaking apart, potentially allowing bacteria to accumulate or fragments to enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart or lungs.

A growing number of individuals are now pursuing Bard PowerPort lawsuits, alleging that defects in the catheter’s design and materials made the devices prone to premature failure. The lawsuits claim that the manufacturer knew, or should have known, about these risks but failed to adequately warn patients and healthcare providers of the potential for serious complications.

Much of the Bard PowerPort litigation has focused on the use of a material known as Chronoflex, a blend of polyurethane and barium sulfate. The barium sulfate is supposed to make the catheter more visible in x-ray images.

However, independent researchers have warned that the catheter hose may contain too much barium sulfate, which could cause the polyurethane to crack and fail. Court filings claim C.R. Bard has known this for years, yet refuses to change the formulation in order to save money.

Bard PowerPort Infection Allegations

According to the complaint, Slater was implanted with a Bard PowerPort in late July 2024. After the procedure, he began to experience symptoms of infection.

Doctors decided to remove the implant and discovered the root of his infection in December 2024, determining it was caused by the failure of the Chronoflex material.

“At all times complained, there were reasonable safety features and warnings available at the time the product was designed, manufactured, and placed into the stream of commerce that would have reduced or avoided the risk of injury without impairing the product’s utility.”

– Dana Anthony Slater v. C.R. Bard Inc. et al.

Slater raises allegations of strict product liability and negligence. He seeks compensatory damages.

Bard PowerPort Lawsuits

The complaint will be consolidated with more than 4,000 similar federal Bard PowerPort lawsuits before U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell in the District of Arizona, where they are undergoing pretrial proceedings, coordinated discovery and a series of early test “bellwether” trials.

Three PowerPort lawsuit trials have already concluded, resulting in a defense verdict in the first trial, currently under appeal and a $40 million jury verdict in the second trial. Another defense verdict was issued at the end of October in the third bellwether trial, which involved claims by May Lattanzio of Florida. A fourth bellwether trial is scheduled to begin on February 7, 2027.

The hope is that the results of the trials, although not binding on other claims, will help attorneys negotiate a global settlement to resolve all or most Bard PowerPort lawsuits.

Similar litigation, involving hundreds of AngioDynamics port catheter lawsuits have been centralized before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta in the Southern District of California, where the complaints are also going through coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

Eventually, Judge Ohta is expected to formulate a separate bellwether trial program. It is anticipated that the outcomes and rulings of the PowerPort lawsuits will have a significant effect on the AngioDynamics litigation.

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