Abbott ASDS Catheter Lawsuit
The Abbott ASDS catheter is supposed to help doctors treat patients more effectively by aiding in certain types of heart procedures and treatments. The purpose of the catheter is to help doctors implant medical devices into the heart that will treat patients’ heart conditions. However, Abbott, the company that manufactures the ASDS catheter, is facing lawsuits.
The catheter has been linked to problems such as a stroke or even death. If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of the usage of the Abbott ASDS catheter, don’t wait to reach out to Farah & Farah. Our skilled attorneys have a lot of experience fighting medical device companies that may have prioritized profits over people’s health and lives. Contact us today for a free consultation regarding your case.
What Is the Abbott ASDS Catheter?
The Abbott Amplatzer Steerable Delivery Sheath (ASDS) is a catheter designed for use in cardiac procedures. This type of catheter can be used in the treatment and diagnosis of heart conditions and can also help to deliver other medical devices to the heart.
What Is a Catheter?
A catheter is any kind of thin, medical-grade tubing that can be inserted into the body for a range of medical procedures, from treating a disease to assisting in surgery. They generally help transfer something into or out of the body. That something can be medications, surgical devices, and more.
What Is the Abbott ASDS Catheter Lawsuit?
Abbott recalled hundreds of ASDS catheters in 2023 due to the potential injury that the devices could cause. Those harmed by the catheter are considering filing lawsuits against the company. Many have already spoken to attorneys to explore their legal options for recourse from the company whose faulty device caused them harm.
ASDS Catheter Distribution
The faulty ASDS catheters were distributed to doctors and used between October 4, 2022, and February 4, 2023. In these months, hundreds or even thousands of people could have been at risk of catheter failure. Thus far, 26 people have been impacted, 16 of them injured, as reported by Abbott.
Abbott ASDS Catheter Recall
Abbott recalled its ASDS catheter, specifically the catheter with model number ASDS-14F-075, on June 12, 2023. The recall was classified as a Class I recall by the FDA, which means that there’s a risk of serious adverse health effects or even a risk of death. While the FDA can initiate recalls to force a company to remove a harmful medical device from the market, Abbott’s recall of the ASDS catheter was voluntary.
Plaintiffs Begin Exploring Their Legal Options
Plaintiffs who were harmed by the usage of the Abbott ASDS catheter began to explore what their legal options were in July of 2023. If you or a loved one has been harmed by the ASDS catheter, then you should consider what your legal options might be.
Plaintiffs Consider Filing Abbott ASDS Catheter Lawsuits
By September of 2023, plaintiffs were beginning to consider filing lawsuits against Abbott for the harm done to their health by the faulty ASDS catheters. At Farah & Farah, we feel strongly about helping those who have been harmed by a company’s failure to adequately warn patients of the potential risks of using their devices. Sometimes, this means filing a lawsuit in order to force the company to pay damages. While this can’t undo the harm done, damages can cover medical bills and are a step in the direction of plaintiffs becoming whole again.
What Injuries Have Plaintiffs Faced?
The reason Abbott listed for the recall of its ASDS catheters was an increased risk of air emboli. An air embolism can block the flow of blood to the heart, lungs, or brain and cause a heart attack, respiratory failure, or stroke, all of which are life-threatening and could result in death. However, the injuries that plaintiffs who are considering a lawsuit against Abbott may have experienced other cardiac injuries, such as low blood pressure, faster or slower heartbeat, and more.
Why Was the Abbott ASDS Catheter Recalled?
Abbott recalled the ASDS catheter in June of 2023 because of an increased risk of air emboli, or air bubbles. These bubbles can lead to the following problems:
- Reduced blood flow to the heart
- Low blood pressure
- Faster heartbeat
- Slower heartbeat
- Lack of oxygen in the blood
Any of these problems could ultimately lead to a stroke or even death.
What Is an Air Embolism?
An air embolism is an air bubble that forms in a vein or artery and blocks the flow of blood. The air bubble can travel and block blood flow to vital organs such as the lungs, heart, or brain. An air embolism can result in a stroke, a heart attack, or respiratory failure, depending on which organ the embolism affects.
Symptoms of an Air Embolism
The signs of an air embolism include:
- Chest pain
- Heart failure
- Respiratory failure
- Difficulty breathing
- Stroke
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Low blood pressure
- Confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Blue-tinged skin
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off or lessened temporarily. This loss of blood flow is a major medical emergency and can result in the death of brain cells because the cells aren’t receiving the oxygen and nutrients that they should.
Symptoms of a Stroke
The symptoms of a stroke can include:
- Difficulty speaking
- Trouble understanding what other people are saying
- Paralysis in the face, arm, or leg
- Numbness in the face, arm, or leg
- Difficulty walking
- Headache
- Trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
What Are the FDA’s Findings on the Abbott ASDS Catheter Recall?
The FDA reported on Abbott’s recall of the ASDS catheter after it was announced in July of 2023. The FDA’s report indicated that 26 people were affected, 16 of them injured, with no deaths. 672 units of the ASDS catheter were recalled by Abbott and had been in use between October 4, 2022, to February 22, 2023. This means that although only 16 were reported to the FDA, more could have occurred during that time period.
What Is Cardiac Catheterization?
Cardiac catheterization is the process of inserting a catheter, or a thin, hollow tube, into the heart via a blood vessel. Through this tube, doctors can gain important information about the patient’s heart and its condition. They can also insert medical devices that are catheter-based into the heart for treatment and diagnosis purposes.
Uses of a Cardiac Catheter
Cardiac catheterization is used to treat and diagnose a range of different health conditions, including:
- Chest pain
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart valve problems
- Coronary heart disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart failure
- Coronary microvascular disease
Treatments Involving a Cardiac Catheter
Doctors can use cardiac catheters in a variety of different treatments, including:
- Checking for narrowed blood vessels
- Checking for blocked blood vessels
- Checking for blood clots
- Taking a tissue sample
- Measuring oxygen levels
- Measuring blood pressure
- Seeing how well the heart is pumping blood
- And more...
Risks of a Cardiac Catheter
In general, the risks of using a cardiac catheter are low and complications are rare. When they do occur, complications can include:
- Bruising
- Blood clots
- Bleeding
- Heart attack
- Artery damage
- Allergic reactions
- Kidney damage
- Stroke
- Irregular heartbeat
- Infection
What Is the Abbott ASDS Catheter Used for?
The Abbott ASDS catheter was designed in particular to deliver the Amplatzer Amulet Left Atrial Appendage Occluder into the heart. This device is meant to prevent a blood clot that formed in the left atrial appendage of the heart from entering into the bloodstream, where it could potentially cause a stroke.
What Are Blood Clots?
A blood clot is a gel-like mass that can form in the arteries or the veins. While clotting can be a good thing because it prevents small cuts from bleeding out. However, when they form within the body rather than to stop external bleeding, they can cause some serious health issues, including deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and even a heart attack.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, happens when blood clots form in the legs, which is where the deeper veins in the body are located. DVT can be dangerous because these blood clots can move, traveling up the body and even reaching the lungs, where they can get stuck and cause a pulmonary embolism.
Symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis
In some cases, there are no noticeable symptoms of DVT. However, when symptoms do occur, they can include:
- Swelling in the leg
- A warm feeling in the leg
- Changes to the color of the skin
- Leg pain
- Cramping
- Soreness
Pulmonary Embolism
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot forms and blocks the flow of blood to the lungs. In a pulmonary embolism, the blood clot often has traveled from a deep vein such as one of the ones in the legs. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms can often occur together. A pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening, but prompt treatment can reduce the risk.
Symptoms of a Pulmonary Embolism
The symptoms of a pulmonary embolism can include:
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Shortness of breath
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Coughing (especially with bloody mucus)
- Leg pain
- Leg swelling
- Sweating
- Fever
- Clammy skin
- Discolored skin
Heart Attack
A heart attack can occur when part of the heart doesn’t get enough blood. Most heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease, which is when plaque builds up in the arteries and then restricts or blocks the blood flow to the heart. It’s not the only cause of heart attacks, though. The blood supply to the heart could be cut off by a blood clot or spasm in a coronary artery.
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
The symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person and often present themselves differently in men and women. In men, the major symptoms of a heart attack often include:
- Pain or discomfort in the chest, arms, shoulders, jaw, neck, and/or back
- Chest discomfort that feels like squeezing, fullness, pressure, and/or pain
- Weakness
- Lightheadedness
- Feeling faint
- Cold sweat
- Shortness of breath
Women may experience the above symptoms, but are more likely to instead have the following symptoms:
- Tiredness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Do I Qualify for an Abbott ASDS Catheter Lawsuit?
If an Abbott ASDS catheter that was recalled was used in your cardiac procedure, you may be eligible for a lawsuit if you or a loved one suffered one of the following conditions:
- Stroke
- Death
- Air emboli
- Tachycardia
- Bradycardia
- Hypotension
- Desaturation
- Hemodynamic instability
- Reduced blood flow to the heart
- Other cardiac problem
Don’t hesitate to contact our experienced attorneys at Farah & Farah. We offer a free consultation to determine the facts of your case. If we represent you, you won’t have to pay anything at all unless your case is successful. Let us help you by fighting for the compensation you deserve for the harm caused by a company that prioritizes profits over people.
Why You Should Hire Farah & Farah for Your Abbott ASDS Lawsuit
Farah & Farah may be a large firm, but we operate like a small one. This means that all of our attorneys work together to give all of our clients the best possible care. Many of our attorneys also have experience defending insurance companies and large medical companies. Now that they’re on our side, they put that knowledge and experience to good use; they know all of the tactics that a large company may try to use to avoid taking responsibility. We have the results to prove that this is a winning strategy; we’ve won millions of dollars for clients and helped to relieve the financial suffering of many.
What Farah & Farah Can Do for You
We strongly believe in doing whatever it takes to be there for our clients at all times. If you have a case, we’ll do the following:
- Help you compile all of the documentation you’ll need to prove your case
- Gather evidence to support your case
- Handle communications with the other parties involved
- File necessary paperwork to initiate a lawsuit as needed
- Argue on your behalf in court
- Seek the maximum amount of damages that we can
We are dedicated to fighting for our clients and will do everything we possibly can to ensure that you get the justice and compensation that you deserve. Contact us now for a free consultation. You won’t have to pay anything unless your case against Abbott is successful.
We’re here to help. Reach out to Farah & Farah today
You can and should pursue justice through a defective drug lawsuit. At Farah & Farah, we help you recover the maximum possible recovery or verdict from the people who caused your injury – so you can focus on recovering from what the defective drug did to you without financial hardship.
free case review
