 CYPHER STENTS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD CLOT RISK
Cypher stents, manufactured by Cordis, a division of Johnson & Johnson, are tiny drug-coated metal tubes inserted into a patient’s blocked artery or blood vessel, and there is concern among those at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that sudden blood clots will form around the cardiac stents that may cause heart attacks.
The new drug-coated cardiac stents were approved by the FDA in April 2003 and by October 2003, only five months after they had been on the market, more than 60 deaths were reportedly linked to the use of the drug-coated cardiac stents.
In addition, there were about 230 other cases of blood clotting around the stent reported. The FDA issued an advisory to physicians in October 2003 to encourage caution in their use of the new stent and to monitor patients’ symptoms.
The FDA had received reports of blood clots in 34 patients only three months after the stent was on on the market. There appears to be a greater risk of blood clots with the drug-coated stents than with the traditional bare metal stents.
Cypher stents are used to prop open a cleaned-out artery in patients with heart disease to prevent the artery from collapsing and to prevent restenosis, or blocking of the artery, and to restore proper blood flow to the heart. Unlike bare mesh stents, Cypher stents emit a drug to reduce the chance that the weakened artery will clog again. The drug, sirolimus, prevents scar tissue growth around the area where the stent is implanted.
Nearly one million Americans undergo angioplasty every year, which is a procedure that clears out the patient’s blocked artery, and often a stent is inserted in the newly-cleared artery to keep it open and prevent it from collapsing. Patients who receive the drug-coated stent need to take anti-platelet medication for at least three months after the procedure to reduce the risk of thrombosis, or blood clots.
The drug-coated cardiac stents are only appropriate for patients with newly-narrowed arteries that have not been previously treated. They should not be used to replace an older stent that has been reclogged. The new stents are about three times as expensive as the traditional bare mesh stents, but are considered an improvement as they reduce the need for repeat surgery and reduce the chances that the artery will reclog.
There is evidence that there is risk of blood clots, known as thrombosis, around the drug-coated stent, and this can cause heart attacks. The patient must be monitored carefully after receiving the stent and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
In order to reduce the risk of clots, which could lead to a heart attack, patients are urged to take thire anti-platelet medication as prescribed. Patients who experience chest pain after receiving the stent are urged to contact their physician and monitor their condition very closely.
If you or a member of your family has received a Cypher stent, then you may qualify for a lawsuit claim. Thousands of people have already filed claims.
In America today there are thousands of mass lawsuits and billions of dollars in unclaimed monies available for victims. If you have been wronged by a major corporation, you may be entitled to compensation for treatments and pain and suffering. |
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