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Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers is no longer actively retaining Nexplanon victims. |
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Nexplanon is a birth control implant which is placed in the arm. It works over 99% of the time; it is advertised as working as well as the pill without the daily hassle.
Unfortunately, there have been reports of blood clots linked to Nexplanon. These blood clots can lead to potentially fatal events such as:
- Pulmonary embolism
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Strokes
Can Nexplanon Cause Blood Clots?
Nexplanon is an etonogestrel-based birth control implant, placed under the skin, which replaced Implanon when Implanon was taken off the market in 2011. Nexplanon, unlike Implanon, contains barium sulfate, which makes it visible by X-ray. This is so the implant can be found if it moves inside the body. Nexplanon’s applicator also allows doctors to avoid placing the device too deep into the body. Placing the device too deep into the arm may increase the risk of the device moving inside the body.
The Nexplanon implant is a small, thin plastic rod that is placed in the arm to prevent pregnancy for up to three years. It can be removed at any time.
Unfortunately, Nexplanon risks appear to include blood clots. A study published in the British Medical Journal associated the use of under-the-skin birth control implants with a 40% increased risk of developing blood clots in the veins.
Nexplanon’s label was updated in August 2015 to warn that the use of etonogestrel implants has been linked with reports of serious venous blood clotting events, including pulmonary emboli (some fatal), strokes, heart attack and deep vein thrombosis. These Nexplanon complications, unfortunately, can be fatal.
Venous Thrombosis And Venous Thromboembolisms
A venous thrombosis is when a blood clot forms inside a vein, slowing or blocking blood flow. One common form of venous thrombosis is a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the legs or pelvis.
Blood clots that break off and flow toward the lungs can become pulmonary emboli (PE), or blood clots in the lungs.
DVT only, DVT with PE, and PE only are conditions referred to as venous thromboembolisms.
Deep Vein Thrombosis Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of DVT include:
- Throbbing pain which can worsen with weight-bearing
- Swelling
- Redness
- Tenderness
- Pitting edema
- Warmth
- Dilation of surface veins
- Cyanosis with fever
- A “pulling sensation”
- Discoloration
DVTs can cause strokes in patients who have pre-existing heart defects.
Pulmonary Embolism Symptoms
Up to one quarter of pulmonary embolisms result in sudden death. Other signs of pulmonary embolisms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Coughing up blood
Grounds For A Nexplanon Lawsuit
Makers of drugs and medical devices are strictly liable under California law for injuries caused by products which are defective by design. A product is defective by design when, despite being made properly, it does not perform as safely as consumers would expect it to when it is used as intended.
Companies are strictly liable under California law for injuries caused by their products when they fail to warn about the risk of those injuries when they know or should know about the risk.
Nexplanon’s label was not updated to warn about the risk of blood clotting until several years after the device was released into the market. The makers of Nexplanon should have known about this risk, but failed to test the device enough before releasing it into the market.
Companies are also liable under California law for injuries caused by their own failure to behave as a reasonable company would under the same circumstances. A reasonable company would perform enough testing on a device like Nexplanon to determine side effects such as blood clots before selling it to the public.
