How a medical implant may be risking the lives of veterans nationwide

After decades on the market, Bard’s PowerPort may lead to legal ramifications for the company.

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It sounds like a great idea, because it is: an implantable device for medical patients whose treatment requires repeated access to their bloodstreams. Instead of being repeatedly injected with medical fluids, patients requiring treatment for conditions like cancer can get the Bard PowerPort—just one implant that makes treatment easier. 

The idea of the device itself isn’t the problem, however—it’s how the device was made. Its design and manufacturing flaws, alleged by lawsuits filed against Bard, make the Bard PowerPort easily breakable and allow it to move out of position, causing infections and a potential series of other complications. 

Top Class Actions, a consumer news site founded by Scott Hardy, is looking to help military members, veterans and their families who believe they were harmed by a Bard PowerPort. Hardy built a team of veterans and journalists who work to fight government and corporate negligence by connecting potential plaintiffs to highly skilled and reputable law firms across the country. 

As the son of an Army veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange, Hardy thinks exposing corporate negligence and fraud inflicted on consumers is especially important. Bard is just the latest in a long line of companies that are alleged to have knowingly harmed Americans in pursuit of profits.

Bard’s PowerPort is an extremely popular implantable port for people undergoing cancer treatment and other long-term conditions that require regular IV access. It’s easy to see why. The materials used to build it can be used during many medical imaging procedures, including CT scans and MRIs.

However, the Bard PowerPort may be prone to problems that can cause serious and life-threatening complications.

The Chronoflex material used in the PowerPort may be defective, causing parts of the device to fracture or crack under normal use. When parts crack, fragments may be released into a patient’s vascular system, which can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications. In these situations, the device must be removed.

And that’s where the problem lies. Lawsuits filed against Bard state that the company knew there was a design flaw in the materials used to make the product. Some consumers believe Bard knew about the danger, but instead of reformulating its materials, the company shipped the products anyway. In 2019, Bard issued an immediate Class 2 device recall for many of its catheters (find the recall notice here). 

Many cancers, and especially their treatments, affect the body’s immune system. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell and bone marrow transplants all lower or eliminate the body’s white blood cells, making even the slightest infection potentially life-threatening. 

The lawsuits also allege that there were other dangers associated with the PowerPort. On top of infections, the risk of bleeding, cardiac arrhythmia and ongoing, persistent pain were also present for some patients. 

Once the implant danger was known to patients, many of these same, weakened patients underwent surgery to have them removed, which is also risky. 

With the recent PACT Act legislation that extends VA benefits to those exposed to harmful materials such as the Burn Pits of Iraq and Afghanistan and Agent Orange in Vietnam, the country is all too aware of the cancers and rare diseases for which veterans are being treated. Bard’s PowerPort could be one of the devices used to treat many veterans who served. 

If you or a loved one were implanted with a Bard PowerPort and experienced infections or worse as a result and had to have the device surgically removed, you may be eligible for compensation from Bard. Let Scott Hardy and his team work to connect you to an experienced, legitimate attorney. 

All you have to do is visit Top Class Actions and fill out a qualification form online. If you qualify, a representative from Top Class Actions or one of the law firms with whom they have a relationship will reach out to you to get more information. 


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