PowerPort catheter fracture: what it means when part of the catheter breaks off

A PowerPort catheter fracture is a crack or break in the thin tube that runs from the port to a large vein near the heart. A broken piece can travel toward the heart or lungs and may need to be retrieved. Plaintiffs in MDL 3081 allege design defects made these fractures more likely, and Bard denies the claims.

Maybe a routine chest X-ray showed something that should not have been there. Maybe your port stopped flushing, or a nurse noticed swelling during an infusion. However you found out, being told that part of your port catheter broke off is frightening, especially when you are already in the middle of cancer care.

This guide explains what a catheter fracture is, how it is usually found and treated, and what the lawsuits over Bard's implanted ports allege about why it happens.

What is a port catheter fracture?

An implanted port has two parts. The port itself is a small reservoir placed under the skin, usually in the upper chest or arm, where nurses insert a needle for chemotherapy, fluids, or blood draws. The catheter is a thin, flexible tube that carries medication from the port into a large vein leading to the heart.

A fracture is a crack, tear, or complete break in that catheter. When a piece separates and moves through the bloodstream, doctors call it migration or embolization. Fragments most often travel toward the heart or into the arteries of the lungs.

How is a fracture usually found?

Many fractures cause no symptoms at first. They are often found on imaging done for another reason, such as a chest X-ray or a CT scan ordered during cancer treatment.

When there are signs, they can include:

• Trouble with the port itself, such as difficulty flushing it or drawing blood.
• Swelling, pain, or burning near the port during an infusion, which can mean fluid is leaking under the skin.
• Heart or breathing symptoms, such as palpitations, an irregular heartbeat, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, or a racing heartbeat right now, contact your doctor or emergency services first. Any legal question can wait until you are safe.

What happens after a fracture is found?

Treatment depends on where the fragment is and how you are doing. Many fragments are removed by an interventional radiologist, who threads a thin wire with a small loop, called a snare, through a vein to capture the piece. Some cases need open surgery, and some patients need ongoing care for heart rhythm problems or other complications.

The port is usually removed or replaced as well. Occasionally, doctors decide that the risks of retrieval outweigh the benefits and leave a fragment in place.

Each of these steps creates medical records, and those records become the foundation of any claim.

What do the PowerPort lawsuits allege?

Thousands of people who received Bard implanted ports have sued C.R. Bard and its parent company, Becton, Dickinson and Company. The federal cases are consolidated in MDL 3081 in the District of Arizona. An MDL, or multidistrict litigation, gathers similar cases before one judge for shared pretrial work while each case remains separate. As of October 2026, more than 4,000 cases were pending.

A central allegation is that Bard's catheters contain too much barium sulfate, the material that makes a catheter visible on X-rays, and that this weakens the catheter. Plaintiffs claim this can lead to cracking, fracture, and migration, along with infection and blood clots. They also allege Bard did not adequately warn doctors about these risks.

Bard denies these claims. In the first fracture trial, Bard argued that the break came from pinch-off syndrome or from how the catheter was placed, rather than from a defect. Pinch-off syndrome happens when a catheter placed through the vein under the collarbone gets squeezed between the collarbone and the first rib.

The litigation covers more than one catheter type. Bard ports have been sold with polyurethane catheters and with silicone catheters, including the Groshong line, and the test cases were chosen to include both.

What happened in the first fracture trial?

The MDL is testing its claims through bellwether trials, a small set of individual cases tried early so both sides can see how juries respond to the evidence. Five cases were selected, spanning different injuries and catheter materials.

The second bellwether, Divelbliss v. Becton, Dickinson, was the first fracture case to reach a jury. The plaintiff, a New Mexico woman, alleged that her Groshong silicone catheter, placed through the vein under her collarbone, fractured about two years after implantation and that a piece lodged in her heart, requiring surgery.

On September 4, 2026, the jury found for her on her design defect and failure to warn claims. It rejected her manufacturing defect and fraud claims and did not award punitive damages. Bard has since asked the court for a new trial.

That result followed the first bellwether, an infection case, in which the jury sided with Bard on the warning claims and could not agree on design defect. A third bellwether, another infection case, went to trial in October 2026.

One verdict does not predict the outcome of any other case. Every claim turns on its own medical history, device, and records. What Divelbliss does show is that a jury has heard the full fracture evidence, including Bard's pinch-off defense, and found the design defective.

Who may qualify for a fracture claim?

Each situation is reviewed individually, but fracture claims generally involve:

• A Bard implanted port. The litigation covers PowerPort models and other Bard ports. If you are not sure who made yours, your implant records will say.
• A documented fracture or migration, usually shown on imaging or described in a procedure report.
• A related injury or treatment, such as a retrieval procedure, surgery, port removal, or heart complications.

Timing matters too. Every state sets a statute of limitations, which is the deadline for filing a lawsuit. For device injuries, that clock often starts when you learned, or reasonably should have learned, about the injury and its possible cause. Our guide to mass tort filing deadlines explains how this works. If your fracture was found years ago, a review can tell you whether your deadline is still open.

What records help show a fracture?

The most useful documents are usually:

• Imaging reports from the X-ray, CT scan, or fluoroscopy that showed the fracture or fragment.
• Procedure or operative notes from the retrieval or removal.
• Your implant record, which identifies the port and catheter by manufacturer and model.
• Cardiology records, if you had rhythm problems or other heart complications afterward.

You do not need all of these to start. Approximate dates are enough for a first conversation, and our PowerPort records checklist walks through how to request each one.

What does a review cost?

The case review through Injury Advocate Group is free. If you are connected with an attorney and decide to move forward, these cases are typically handled on a contingency fee, meaning the attorney is paid a percentage of any recovery and charges nothing upfront. Fee terms are put in writing before you sign anything.

If part of your catheter broke or moved, start with what you already know: roughly when the port was placed, when the fracture was found, and what was done about it. A short review can tell you whether your situation fits the litigation and what a next step would look like.

Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Injury Advocate Group is an advertising service, not a law firm. Litigation status changes; eligibility can only be confirmed through a case review with an attorney.