People's Justice

Injury guide

Broken port catheter: care and records first

A suspected break in a port tube needs a care-team review. Do not try to test or fix the port yourself.

See If You Qualify

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Updated Oct 4, 202614 sources

This may apply to you if

  • Identify the Bard device in the implant record.
  • Review the medical finding and care before and after placement.
  • Ask about dates, applicable law and the firm’s current acceptance rules.

What the public record says

These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.

David G. Campbell · United States District Court for the District of Arizona · Senior United States District Judge

Finding: The September 25, 2026 order denied a request to end the Lattanzio case before trial because factual issues remained. It did not award a personal payment.

Lattanzio individual ruling, September 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Sep 25, 2026 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

Takatoshi Nakamura · Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Japan · First-listed author of the PowerPort cohort study

Finding: The 132-person study recorded infections, a kink and leaks, with no observed tube breakage. This small hospital cohort does not decide the cause of another patient’s injury.

Nakamura original PowerPort cohort, 2017 (opens in a new tab) · Mar 10, 2017 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The evidence and its limits

Kitasato University School of Medicine, Japan · Annals of Medicine and Surgery · 2017

Complications after implantation of subcutaneous central venous ports (PowerPort)

Design:
Cohort
Participants:
132 patients with PowerPort implants at one hospital
Finding:
Eight patients had recorded complications: four infections, one kink and three leaks. No breakage was observed.
Main limitation
Small, one-hospital observational sample without a direct earlier-port comparison. It cannot prove individual cause or describe every device model.

Read the source: Complications after implantation of subcutaneous central venous ports (PowerPort) (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The short answer

What is a catheter fracture?
It means a break in the port’s tube. BD lists breakage as a possible complication. The cause in one person needs its own review. [14]
What signs should I tell my care team about?
Call for new pain, swelling or changes at the port site. Fever or chills also need a call. These signs do not confirm a break. [5]
How is a suspected break diagnosed and treated?
Ask your team what the exam or imaging shows. The next step depends on the actual finding. Do not choose removal from a website. [5]
What does the PowerPort study show?
The study followed 132 people and found no tube breaks. It did record other problems. A small study cannot rule out every later injury. [3]

What rules a case out

Not covered by this case

  • A port complication alone does not prove a product defect.
  • This page cannot decide individual cause, a filing date or payment.

The process

What happens next

  1. 01

    You answer a few questions

    About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.

  2. 02

    A lawyer looks at it

    A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.

  3. 03

    The firm decides and gets in touch

    If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.

When it fits this case

  • Identify the Bard device in the implant record.
  • Review the medical finding and care before and after placement.
  • Ask about dates, applicable law and the firm’s current acceptance rules.

A suspected break in a port tube needs a care-team review. Do not try to test or fix the port yourself. Keep the device and imaging records for legal questions.

What is a catheter fracture?

It means a break in the port’s tube. BD lists breakage as a possible complication. The cause in one person needs its own review.

The port and its tube are parts of a device used to reach a vein. A warning about possible damage does not show that every model has failed. Ask the clinician which part your report identifies.

What signs should I tell my care team about?

Call for new pain, swelling or changes at the port site. Fever or chills also need a call. These signs do not confirm a break.

MSK lists these reasons to contact the care team. Only trained staff should access the port. Do not push fluid through it or try to check the tube to prepare a lawsuit.

How is a suspected break diagnosed and treated?

Ask your team what the exam or imaging shows. The next step depends on the actual finding. Do not choose removal from a website.

The published hospital study used records and imaging to assess devices and complications. It does not supply a treatment plan for you. Keep the clinician’s explanation beside the scan report.

What does the PowerPort study show?

The study followed 132 people and found no tube breaks. It did record other problems. A small study cannot rule out every later injury.

Nakamura and colleagues studied patients at one hospital, without a direct earlier-port comparison. Their results do not prove all models safe or defective. The study is not an individual cause finding.

Who may qualify for a claim review?

A lawyer needs the device details and injury records. A broken tube alone does not decide fault. Ask which claim fits the findings.

The September 2026 Lattanzio order addresses disputed infection claims in one case. It is not a fracture award or a rule for every device. The responsible party and law need separate assessment.

What records help with a tube-break review?

Keep the device card, scan and procedure notes. Ask for the report that describes the break. Mark missing details instead of guessing.

Ask the care team and lawyer how any removed device or fragments should be handled. Do not handle a used device yourself. Keep the sequence of placement, symptoms and later procedures intact.

Find out where you stand.

The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.

Ask a law firm to review your case

Sources

  1. Lattanzio individual ruling, September 25, 2026Lattanzio individual ruling, September 25, 2026 · court
  2. GovInfo court docket attribution, September 25, 2026GovInfo court docket attribution, September 25, 2026 · court
  3. Nakamura original PowerPort cohort, 2017Nakamura original PowerPort cohort, 2017 · study
  4. FDA lot-specific PowerPort recall Z-1570-2020FDA lot-specific PowerPort recall Z-1570-2020 · regulator
  5. MSK first-party implanted-port care guidance (updated September 29, 2025)MSK first-party implanted-port care guidance (updated September 29, 2025)
  6. HHS: Your Medical RecordsHHS: Your Medical Records · regulator
  7. Federal courts: civil casesFederal courts: civil cases · court
  8. ABA: fees paid from a successful claimABA: fees paid from a successful claim
  9. SDNY: filing time limitsSDNY: filing time limits · court
  10. ABA Model Rule 1.5: feesABA Model Rule 1.5: fees
  11. FDA Issues Multiple Class I Recalls for Arrow International Vascular Access Kitsapi.fda.gov · Jun 30, 2026 · regulator
  12. MDL 3081 (D. Ariz., Judge David G. Campbell) CMO No. 41 adjusted the bellwether trial schedule after the parties filed 52 Rule 702/56 motions: Cook (23-cv-01975) Apr 21-May 8, 2026; Miller (24-cv-00621) Jul 7-24, 2026; Lattanzio (24-cv-00680) Aug 18-Sep 4, 2026; Divelbliss (23-cv-01627) Oct 13-30, 2026; Hicks (23-cv-01703) Dec 1-18, 2026; Sorensen (23-cv-02557) Feb 2-19, 2027. Verified from the court order itself (Doc 6028).nighgoldenberg.com · Nov 14, 2025 · court
  13. FDA Issues Class I Recall for Bard Power-Trialysis Dialysis Catheterapi.fda.gov · Sep 29, 2026 · regulator
  14. BD: PowerPort safety information (manufacturer source)

Checked against 11 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated

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