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A power-injectable port — a small device implanted under the skin to give doctors easy access to a vein — sounds like a straightforward piece of medical technology. For people going through chemotherapy, dialysis, or long-term IV treatment, these ports are supposed to make an already difficult situation a little easier.
But Bard PowerPort devices, manufactured by C.R. Bard (now a subsidiary of Becton, Dickinson and Company), are at the center of a growing federal lawsuit alleging a serious design defect. According to plaintiffs, the catheter tubing used in these devices is made from a polyurethane blend called Chronoflex AL, which contains barium sulfate to make it visible on X-ray. That combination, they allege, causes the catheter to become brittle over time — developing microfractures that eventually lead to the catheter breaking apart inside the patient’s body. (MDL No. 3081, In re: Bard PowerPort MDL, D. Ariz.)
When a catheter fractures, the broken piece does not simply stay in place. Catheter fragments can travel through the bloodstream to the heart and lungs, a condition known as catheter embolism. This can require emergency surgery to retrieve the fragment — and in some cases, the fragment cannot be safely removed at all.
What Is a Bard PowerPort?
A PowerPort is a type of implantable venous access port. A surgeon places a small reservoir under the skin, usually near the collarbone or chest, and connects it to a catheter — a thin, flexible tube — that runs into a major vein leading to the heart. Doctors can then access the port with a special needle for blood draws, chemotherapy infusions, or other treatments, without repeatedly puncturing peripheral veins.
Bard PowerPorts are specifically designed to be “power injectable,” meaning they can withstand the higher pressures used in contrast-enhanced CT scans. This feature makes them especially common among cancer patients who need both chemotherapy and frequent imaging.
C.R. Bard, based in New Jersey, was acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) in 2017 for approximately $24 billion. BD now manufactures and sells the PowerPort line. (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Form 10-K, 2017.)
The Alleged Design Defect
The central allegation in the PowerPort lawsuit is that the catheter material — Chronoflex AL polyurethane with barium sulfate added as a radiopaque agent — degrades and weakens over time in ways the manufacturer knew about but failed to adequately disclose to patients or physicians.
Barium sulfate is a dense, inert compound commonly used in medical devices to make them show up clearly on X-ray and fluoroscopy imaging. Plaintiffs in the MDL allege that incorporating barium sulfate into the polyurethane matrix of the catheter wall disrupts the polymer’s structural integrity, leading to micro-cracks that can grow under the normal mechanical stresses of body movement and contrast-injection pressures. (MDL No. 3081, Plaintiff Master Long-Form Complaint.)
The FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database contains hundreds of adverse event reports linked to Bard PowerPort catheters, including reports of catheter fracture, fragment embolism, and migration. (FDA MAUDE Database, searches for Bard PowerPort, 2012–2025.)
Injuries Linked to the PowerPort
The injuries reported in connection with Bard PowerPort fractures can be severe. People who have filed lawsuits or reported injuries to the FDA describe:
- Catheter fracture and embolism — the catheter breaks and a fragment travels through the bloodstream
- Migration to the heart or lungs — fragments lodging in the pulmonary artery or heart chambers
- Cardiac tamponade — fluid or a fragment compressing the heart, a medical emergency requiring immediate intervention
- Pulmonary embolism — a blockage in the lungs caused by a traveling fragment
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — blood clots forming around the device or catheter line
- Serious infection and sepsis — infections entering through a compromised device
- Perforation of a vein or heart structure — the catheter tip or fragment puncturing tissue
- Emergency surgical retrieval — sometimes requiring open-heart procedures to remove the fragment
Many of these injuries occurred in people already weakened by cancer treatment. Some have been fatal.
The Federal Lawsuit: MDL 3081
As individual lawsuits piled up across the country, a federal judicial panel consolidated them into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the District of Arizona. The case is formally titled In re: Bard PowerPort MDL, MDL No. 3081, and is presided over by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell.
As of April 2026, more than 3,200 cases are pending in the MDL. The first bellwether trial — Robert Cook v. C.R. Bard, Inc. and Becton, Dickinson and Company — is scheduled to begin April 21, 2026. Bellwether trials are test cases chosen to give both sides and the court a sense of how juries respond to the evidence; they often lead to broader settlement negotiations. (MDL No. 3081 Docket, D. Ariz., April 2026.)
The outcome of the Cook trial will be closely watched by plaintiff attorneys, defense counsel, and the thousands of people who have already filed or are considering filing.
Two minutes — fill out the free form below.
A real person reviews every submission. If you may have a case, someone will reach out within one week.
Start Free Case Check →Who May Qualify
You may qualify if all of the following describe your situation:
- You had a Bard PowerPort, Bard PowerPort II, or Bard SlimPort implanted at any time.
- You experienced a catheter fracture, fragment embolism, catheter migration, serious infection, blood clot, or another significant device-related injury.
- Your injury required medical treatment — such as hospitalization, an additional procedure, emergency intervention, or surgery to retrieve a fragment.
Family members of patients who died as a result of a Bard PowerPort-related complication may also have a wrongful death case.
You do not need to have kept the device, and you do not need to have a copy of your medical records to start a case check. A lawyer can help obtain those records if your case moves forward.
What Could This Mean for You?
If you qualify, you may be owed money for medical costs related to treating the device failure, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses caused by the injury. We do not quote specific estimates for individual cases — what any individual case may be worth depends on the specific injury, the severity of treatment required, and how the case resolves. Those facts are unique to each person.
Filing Deadline
Every lawsuit has a statute of limitations — a legal deadline for filing. In many states, the clock starts from when you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) that your injury was connected to the device. With a product like a PowerPort, many patients assumed their complications were just a risk of their underlying illness, not a product defect. That means some people still have time to file even if the implant or injury was years ago.
But that window is not unlimited. As the MDL moves toward trial and potential settlement, the pace of the litigation will accelerate. The free case check below takes about two minutes and costs nothing. Don’t let a deadline cut off your options before you even know what they are.
How the Process Works
Step 1 — Fill out the free form
No cost, no commitment. Takes about two minutes. A real person on our intake team reviews every submission.
Step 2 — A lawyer reviews your device and injury history
If it looks like you may qualify, someone will reach out. They’ll ask about the type of port you had, when it was placed, what happened, and any medical treatment you needed as a result.
Step 3 — If you qualify, attorneys work on contingency
You pay nothing unless you win. If your case doesn’t recover money, you owe nothing — no upfront costs, no hourly fees.
Step 4 — Your case is filed
Your case is filed and the law firm handles the legal work. Most clients never need to travel or appear in a courtroom.
Common Questions
Generally, no — current lawsuits involve people who experienced an actual injury from the device. If you develop a problem in the future, that may change. Talk to a doctor about monitoring your device if you have concerns.
Your hospital or implanting surgeon’s records will identify the brand and model. A lawyer can help obtain those records. Fill out the form and we can work through this with you.
No. Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) acquired C.R. Bard in 2017 and assumed liability for Bard products. Cases in MDL 3081 name both C.R. Bard and BD as defendants.
Yes. Having the device removed does not prevent you from filing. Your medical records documenting the injury and removal are the key evidence.
It depends on when the injury occurred, your state, and when you connected the injury to the device. In some states, the clock starts from when you discovered the connection, not when the injury happened. Get an evaluation as soon as possible — the free check below takes two minutes.
Yes. Your doctor’s assessment does not determine whether you have a legal case. An independent legal and medical review may reach a different conclusion about the cause of your injury. That review is what the free case check is for.
Sources
- MDL No. 3081, In re: Bard PowerPort MDL, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona (Judge David G. Campbell). Docket accessed April 2026.
- FDA MAUDE (Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience) Database. Adverse event reports for Bard PowerPort catheters, 2012–2025. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Available at: accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/search.CFM
- “Bard PowerPort Lawsuit.” Drugwatch.com. Updated 2026.
- “Bard PowerPort Catheter Lawsuits: MDL Update.” AboutLawsuits.com. Updated April 2026.
- Becton, Dickinson and Company. Form 10-K Annual Report. Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2017. (documenting acquisition of C.R. Bard.)