Fatal Flaws? Questions Raised About Blood-Clot Filter

Serious questions are being raised about a medical device implanted in thousands of Americans at risk for blood clots — including whether the manufacturer told all it knew about potentially fatal flaws.

An NBC News investigation has found at least 27 deaths have been associated over the course of a decade with the Recovery filter, a spider-shaped apparatus that is inserted into the largest vein in the body to stop blood-clots from reaching major organs.

Government data shows approximately 300 other non-fatal problems have also been reported with the Recovery, which was sold by C.R. Bard, a New Providence, New Jersey-based medical devices manufacturing company, from 2003 to 2005 until it was replaced with a modified version under a different name.

Bard officials declined NBC News' requests for interviews but in a statement said all its filters have been "appropriately cleared by [the] FDA based on required and accurate documentation and that when used as instructed they demonstrate "significant benefits to patients."

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