Boston Scientific Taxus Stent
A stent is a perforated tube or an expandable wire that is used to increase blood flow in the arteries leading in and out of the heart. The Boston Scientific Taxus stent is a drug emitting stent, meaning it releases medication to the patient after it has been implanted. The stent is inserted into a diseased, narrowed, or damaged coronary artery. It then slowly releases medication to prevent blockages from forming within the artery. In the past few years, the usage of drug-emitting stents has become quite popular. These stents have been used to replace substantially invasive surgical measures and can correct certain lesions that are not severe enough to warrant surgery. Using these stents, however, has risks to the patients receiving them.
Certain side effects associated with these stents may include allergic reactions to the stent and the drugs in it, as well as hematomas. This is caused by an improper and ineffective healing of the entry point of the stent, which then results in a collection of blood in the area. One of the more serious side effects of these stents is thrombosis. By definition, thrombosis is a medical condition where blood clotting and inflammation is formed due to the insertion of a foreign object into the body and aggravated by the medication on the stent.
The Boston Scientific Taxus drug-eluting stents have been found to induce stent thrombosis in patients. This thrombosis then leads to heart attacks, re-clogging of the artery, and strokes, which were all supposed to be avoided in the first place by the insertion of the stent. While the drug coating of the Boston Scientific Taxus stent is supposed to prevent blockages and clotting from occurring within the artery, the opposite sometimes happens, with this medication increasing the chances of clotting within the area of the stent. The increase in blood clotting where the stent is inserted can run for years after initial insertion, and while the company Boston Scientific downplays these risks, findings show that there is a heightened risk with these drug coated stents in comparison to the older non-coated stents that were previously used.
Research shows that while Boston Scientific knew that there is a substantial risk of developing thrombosis once a patient uses their Taxus stent, they failed to inform the people about the possibility of further injury with the use of their product. They have, in fact, tried to downplay these effects that can easily cause death due to heart attacks, strokes, and blockages induced by the stent and the medication.
In August 2004, Boston Scientific and the FDA issued a recall of the Taxus stents after it was found that several deaths and injuries were a direct result of the implant. Since then, many more injuries and deaths have been reported each year, as the stent removal requires yet another surgery, which many people cannot afford or do not want to go through again.
If you have been in a procedure where the Boston Scientific Taxus stent was implanted into your body, and you suspect injuries and further problems and pain were caused by the stent, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Try to find a lawyer who is experienced in defective medical devices and has a long history of positive outcomes in these cases. Your lawyer can help you and your family members affected by this neglectful act find restitution from the company that brought you this grief. Many lawyers offer free consultations and will be able to advise you on what to expect in the upcoming process. They may also not even charge you unless your case is won or settled out of court. Your lawyer will be able to show you and your loved ones the options you have and help you to obtain the justice that is needed in cases like these.
