Troutman v. Curtis

143 P.3d 74, 36 Kan. App. 2d 633, 2006 Kan. App. LEXIS 952
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedSeptember 22, 2006
DocketNo. 94,667
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 143 P.3d 74 (Troutman v. Curtis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Troutman v. Curtis, 143 P.3d 74, 36 Kan. App. 2d 633, 2006 Kan. App. LEXIS 952 (kanctapp 2006).

Opinion

Malone, J.:

This is a products liability case in which Sandra Troutman, Larry Gales, and Gerald Crooks (plaintiffs) suffered complications following cardiac catheterization procedures performed by Jeffrey Curtis, M.D., at Stormont-Vail Healthcare, Inc. (Stormont-Vail). The plaintiffs alleged Perclose, Inc. (Perclose) was negligent in the design, manufacturing, and labeling of its product, the Closer Mediated Closure System (the Closer). The Closer is a [634]*634Class III prescription medical device designed to deliver a polyester suture to close the femoral artery access site following a catheterization procedure. Perclose moved for summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiffs’ claims were expressly preempted by federal law. The district court granted the motion.

This case presents an issue of first impression in Kansas. It requires us to determine the scope of the preemption provision set forth in 21 U.S.C. § 360k(a) (2000) of the 1976 Medical Device Amendments (MDA) to the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 301 et seq. (2000 ed. & Supp. Ill 2003). Specifically, we must decide whether § 360k(a) preempts state common-law tort claims alleging liability as to Class III medical devices that have entered the market pursuant to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rigorous premarket approval (PMA) process. We join tire growing consensus of legal authority across the United States and hold that state common-law tort claims alleging liability as to a PMA-approved Class III medical device are preempted by § 360k(a), except for a claim that the manufacturer failed to comply with the approved federal standards. We further hold that tire plaintiffs failed to come forward with any evidence to support a claim that Perclose failed to comply with the approved federal standards in the design, manufacturing, and labeling of the Closer. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of Perclose.

Factual and procedural background

In granting summary judgment, the district court found the following facts to be uncontroverted. The district court’s factual determinations have not been challenged on appeal and are summarized as follows:

1. In 2000 and 2001, the plaintiffs underwent cardiac catheterization procedures for diagnostic purposes performed by Dr. Curtis at Stormont-Vail. Each catheterization was closed, using the Closer, manufactured by Perclose. Complications occurred following each catheterization.

2. The Closer is a Class III prescription medical device designed to deliver a polyester suture to close the femoral artery access site following a catheterization procedure.

[635]*6353. Class III devices are those devices which are to be used for supporting or sustaining human life, or are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, or present a potential unreasonable risk of illness or injury. These devices are subject to the FDA’s most stringent regulations.

4. To be approved by the FDA, Class III devices are subject to either the less stringent § 510(k) (the original MDA section designation) premarket notification process, if the device is substantially equivalent to a medical device already on the market prior to enactment of the MDA in 1976, or the more rigorous PMA process.

5. Perclose initially requested approval of the predecessor to the Closer, the Prostar Percutaneous Vascular Surgical Device (Pros-tar), under the § 510(k) premarket notification process. However, on October 24,1996, the FDA denied that request, requiring that tire Prostar be subjected to the more rigorous PMA process.

6. On November 26, 1996, Perclose applied for PMA of the Prostar, which was approved on April 30, 1997, subject to several conditions which were ultimately met.

7. On May 1, 1997, Perclose submitted PMA Supplement No. 1 seeking approval of the Techstar 6 French Percutaneous Vascular Surgical System (Techstar), a modified version of the original Pros-tar device. The FDA approved this design modification on November 5, 1997.

8. From 1997 to 1999, Perclose submitted a series of PMA Supplements commensurate with various modifications to its closure device, eventually submitting PMA Supplement No. 19 in May 1999, seeking approval for the Closer.

9. With the submission of PMA Supplement No. 19, Perclose also introduced design modifications to the approved Perclose Knot Pusher, Perclose Mini Knot Pusher, and Perclose Snared Knot Pusher, as well as the Clincher Knot Tying Device, a new accessory device that would automatically tie a sliding surgical knot in the suture.

10. Thereafter, Perclose submitted four amendments to PMA Supplement No. 19 for the Closer on June 22, October 12, No[636]*636vember 2, and November 17, 1999, respectively. On November 22, 1999, the FDA approved the Closer and its accessories.

11. Perclose submitted a fifth amendment to PMA Supplement No. 19 on November 24, 1999, which included copies of the final approved labeling. In January 2002, the FDA reviewed the labeling and confirmed that Perclose could proceed with distribution and marketing of the Closer.

12. As part of the process for approval, the Closer, through its predecessors, Prostar and Techstar, underwent extensive clinical investigation. In total, before the Closer was approved by the FDA, over 1,600 patients were studied at over 30 institutions in the United States and Europe over a span of 6 years, in order to establish both safety and efficacy.

13. Two of the first clinical studies, which were submitted with the original PMA for the Prostar, were performed between October 1993 and March 1996: the Prostar Feasibility Study and the Prostar Investigational Device Exemption.

14. Perclose provided two clinical studies in submitting PMA Supplement No. 19 for the Closer: The Closer Percutaneous Vascular Surgical Device European Trial Feasibility Study and The Closer Percutaneous Vascular Surgical Device European Trial. Prior to approval of the Closer on November 22, 1999, the FDA reviewed the clinical studies submitted by Perclose.

15. On October 27,1999, subsequent to the submission of PMA Supplement No. 19, in an attempt to finalize the labeling for the Closer, the FDA made the request that the final labeling for the Closer also include the adverse events and clinical trial summary from the STAND I Trial (a multi-center study designed to prospectively examine the safety and effectiveness of femoral artery closure using the Techstar).

16. The FDA determined that the STAND I Trial should be included in the labeling for the Closer, even though it evaluated a predecessor design to the Closure, explaining that the Closer is a design evolution of the Techstar. Thus, the results of the STAND I Trial are applicable to the Closer because of equivalent intended use and basic operating principles.

[637]*63717. In submitting the Closer s design specifications to the FDA, Perclose submitted PMA Supplement No. 19, which included detailed explanations of the design and use óf the Closer, including details on the suture, sheath, foot, guide, handle, and needle plunger.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
143 P.3d 74, 36 Kan. App. 2d 633, 2006 Kan. App. LEXIS 952, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/troutman-v-curtis-kanctapp-2006.