Implantable ports - small devices placed under the skin to deliver chemotherapy, IV fluids, and imaging contrast; have helped countless patients avoid the discomfort of repeated needle sticks. The Bard Power Port, manufactured by C.R. Bard and now sold by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), was marketed as a durable, high-pressure-rated solution for cancer patients and others needing long-term IV access. For thousands of those patients, however, the device has caused serious complications, including a catheter that fractures inside the body and sends fragments into the heart and lungs. Lawsuits over these injuries are now consolidated in MDL 3081, with more than 8,000 cases filed and bellwether trials underway. If you received a Bard Power Port and are experiencing unexplained symptoms, you may be entitled to compensation - and you may not even realize the device is the cause.
Common Signs of a Defective Bard Power Port
The following symptoms, particularly when they appear months or years after your port was placed, may indicate that the catheter has failed:
- Sharp or unusual chest pain, especially during or after infusions
- Heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, or new arrhythmia
- Shortness of breath or chest tightness without clear cause
- Difficulty flushing the port or drawing blood through it
- Swelling, redness, or pain at the port site
- Fainting, dizziness, or other symptoms of pulmonary embolism
- Imaging that shows a catheter fragment in the heart, lungs, or pulmonary arteries
- An emergency procedure to retrieve a piece of catheter from the bloodstream
Why These Complications Happen
The Bard Power Port uses a polyurethane catheter that, plaintiffs allege, degrades over time, becomes brittle, and fractures under the stress of normal use, particularly at the junction where the catheter meets the port reservoir. Once a piece breaks off, it can travel through the bloodstream and lodge in the heart, lungs, or pulmonary arteries, a process called embolization. The consequences can include cardiac perforation, arrhythmia, pulmonary embolism, the need for open-heart or interventional retrieval surgery, and in some cases, death.
The Power Port was cleared through the FDA's 510(k) pathway, the same expedited process criticized in other implantable device torts, which allows devices to reach the market without clinical trials if they are deemed similar to an existing product. Internal documents produced in litigation indicate that Bard received reports of catheter fractures for years before any meaningful warning was given to patients or physicians, and that design changes were made over time without disclosing the underlying fracture risk.
Steps to Take If You've Been Harmed
See your doctor. If you suspect a catheter fracture or have any of the symptoms above, ask about imaging — a chest X-ray, CT scan, or echocardiogram can show whether a fragment has migrated. A formal diagnosis is important for any legal claim.
Keep records. Save all medical records, operative reports, imaging studies, and billing statements related to your port placement, any retrieval procedure, and any follow-up care.
Identify your device. Your operative report or the patient identification card you may have received at implantation will confirm whether your device was a Bard Power Port and which model was used. This information is critical.
Act promptly. Statute of limitations periods vary by state; in many states you have only 2-3 years from the date you discovered (or should have discovered) the injury. Discovery-rule and fraudulent-concealment tolling may extend that window in some jurisdictions, but waiting puts your claim at risk.
Consult an attorney. A mass tort attorney can review your medical history, confirm whether your device fits within MDL 3081, and explain what evidence is needed to support your claim.
The Legal Landscape
MDL 3081 (In re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation) was established in the District of Arizona in 2022 and now includes more than 8,000 filed cases, with new filings continuing as patients become aware of the cause of their injuries. Bellwether trials are underway and settlement discussions are active. Bard has resolved prior mass tort litigation involving its IVC filter and hernia mesh products, and BD assumed those liabilities when it acquired Bard for $24 billion in 2017. Because the Power Port is a Class II device, plaintiffs are not blocked by the federal preemption rules that limit certain other medical device cases.
Contact Triten Law
Our attorneys have experience in implanted medical device litigation and can review your situation at no cost. If you received a Bard Power Port and are experiencing complications you believe may be related to the device, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.
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