Product Liability · Bard PowerPort
Bard PowerPort
MDL 3081 — actively accepting new cases
The Bard PowerPort is an implanted vascular access device used to deliver chemotherapy, IV fluids, and other treatments. Patients across the country have reported that the catheter portion fractured, migrated, or embolized inside the body — leading to blood clots, infection, cardiac injury, and additional surgery. Our firm is actively investigating and accepting new PowerPort claims.
Background
What this litigation is about.
Bard PowerPort devices are manufactured by Bard Access Systems, a subsidiary of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). The catheter is made from a polymer called ChronoFlex, blended with barium sulfate so it shows up on X-rays.
Plaintiffs allege that the specific concentration and processing of barium sulfate in the ChronoFlex compound made the catheter more prone to cracking, fissuring, and fracture over time. When the catheter separates or migrates, pieces can travel through the vascular system to the heart or lungs, causing serious — sometimes life-threatening — injury.
On August 8, 2023, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated federal PowerPort cases in the District of Arizona under Judge David G. Campbell as MDL 3081. Bellwether case selection and discovery are ongoing.
Reported injuries
Complications documented in this litigation.
Catheter fracture
The tubing cracks, splits, or breaks off inside the body.
Catheter migration
A fragment travels through the bloodstream to the heart, lungs, or elsewhere.
Thrombosis & embolism
Blood clots that can restrict circulation or move to critical organs.
Bloodstream infection
Sepsis or persistent infections requiring surgical removal of the port.
Cardiac injury
Arrhythmia, perforation, tamponade, or damage to heart tissue and valves.
Emergency surgery
Additional procedures to remove fragments, drain effusions, or replace the device.
Who may qualify
An honest self-check.
You were implanted with a Bard PowerPort (or similar Bard implanted port) — often during cancer or long-term IV treatment.
You experienced fracture, migration, infection, thrombosis, or a cardiac complication tied to the device.
Imaging, operative reports, or a physician has connected the injury to the port.
The injury required additional treatment, hospitalization, or surgical removal.
Key events
A timeline of what has happened so far.
2000s–present
Bard PowerPort devices are widely implanted for chemotherapy and long-term IV access.
2020–2022
Individual product-liability lawsuits begin to accumulate in federal courts across the country.
Aug 8, 2023
JPML issues transfer order creating MDL 3081 in the District of Arizona.
2024–2026
Bellwether selection, discovery, and pre-trial motion practice under Judge Campbell.
The PowerPort litigation is the mass tort our firm is most actively investigating right now. If a physician has connected a fracture, clot, infection, or cardiac event to a port device, please call.
Frequently asked
Questions answered plainly.
Information current as of 2026. This page is for general information only, is not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Case statuses, MDL orders, and settlement terms change; call our office for a current review of your specific situation.
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