Becton Dickinson Wins First Trial Over Catheter Infection Claims

An Arizona jury concluded Becton Dickinson & Co. adequately warned a cancer patient of the health risks of a port catheter made by its CR Bard unit, but the panel was unable to reach a verdict on whether the company’s device caused the man’s near-fatal infection.

The verdict Friday, which was confirmed by a company spokesman, was the first of more than 3,000 such lawsuits that could go to trial over claims of infections and heart attacks. Robert Cook blamed his bacterial infection on what he said was Bard’s badly-designed port catheter and claimed the company failed to properly warn ...