NexStent Patients Left to Wonder and Worry

Natick, MAPatients who have had surgery involving Boston Scientific's NexStent can be forgiven for being a bit nervous lately. After all, they have just found out that a device used in their surgery has been recalled and many are not sure what that means for them—or what risk there is to their health. Despite experts telling these patients not to worry, they still do because no matter what, there is a fear that something inside their body could cause them harm.

One issue is that not a lot of information has been released regarding the recall, leaving it up to patients to wonder whether or not they have been affected by a defective device. One such patient has written to LawyersandSettlements.com to say he feels pain in his chest when he walks too fast. Another patient says she required a second stent because the first stent became clogged, causing damage to her heart muscle. Although these are not symptoms associated with problems with Boston Scientific's NexStent, they do highlight that patients are not sure as to what symptoms would indicate a problem.

Because not a lot of information has been released, patients are left to worry and wonder about their own medical problems and health risks. Telling them not to worry does not help, because they know that if there is a problem with their device, they are at risk of stroke and other serious injury. Every time they feel a pain in their chest or in their neck, they will wonder if the problem is related to NexStent. Then they will wonder if they are now at risk for a stroke, because they had the stent implanted in their carotid artery.

The problem with NexStent is actually with the device's implantation system. A portion of the implantation device can break off during the procedure. If it breaks off, the tip can cause damage to the blood vessel wall and may require further surgery to correct the problem. Patients who had a successful NexStent implantation have been told that the recall does not affect them—but still there is the worry.

Perhaps the worry is because of those stories that make their way into the news every so often: A patient has undergone surgery and somehow a surgical device has been left inside the patient. Unfortunately, the error is not noticed until the patient becomes very ill and undergoes testing. If an entire device can be left inside a patient without being noticed, is it not possible that the tip of a device can break off and not be noticed right away?

Then there are the patients who required follow-up surgeries following their stent implantation. They may not be aware that the additional surgery was required because of the defective device.

Of course, Boston Scientific has faced other criticism about its stents, notable its drug-eluting stents. Critics of drug-eluting stents say they are more likely to cause blood clots than stents that are not coated in drugs.

If you were harmed by the use of NexStent, or if you had NexStent implanted and are not sure if it has caused damage, contact a lawyer to discuss your options.