According to the findings of new research, implanting IVC filters in trauma patients does not improve their chances of survival, and may actually put them at risk for additional blood clot complications.

The use of inferior vena cava filters (IVC Filters) has increased in recent years with the medical devices often being implanted in patients at risk for deep venous thrombosis or to prevent blood clots from traveling to the heart and lungs and causing pulmonary embolism and other complications.

However, IVC filters have been linked recently to an increased risk of serious side effects, including fracture, migration and perforation of the inferior vena cava. And, according to this recent study, published in the October 2015 issue of the medical journal Annals of Surgery, there is no evidence that IVC filters provide any additional benefits for trauma patients.

IVC Filter Side Effect Study

Researchers from the University of Michigan examined trauma patient data from 2010 to 2014, and identified 803 cases in which trauma patients received IVC filters to treat their risk of pulmonary embolism or deep venous thrombosis.

According to their findings, IVC filters had no effect on the mortality of the trauma patients. In other words, the trauma patients did not survive, on average, any longer than patients who did not receive an IVC filter.

The researchers actually found that patients who were treated with an IVC filter had an 83% higher risk of suffering deep vein thrombosis complications.

About IVC Filters

An IVC filter is a medical device that is used to filter blood clots from traveling from the veins of the leg or pelvis to arteries in the lungs and heart. IVC filters are used when patients cannot be treated with other methods such as blood thinners.

Until recent years, IVC filters were not always permanent. In an effort to reduce the risk of serious complications associated with the device, some patients will have the IVC filter removed once the risk of the blood clot traveling to the heart or lungs is gone.

When an IVC filter malfunctions, patients may be at risk of sustaining serious, potentially fatal injuries, including severe and chronic pain in the chest or heart, pulmonary embolism, respiratory problems and death.

IVC Filter Lawsuits

Serious concerns have been raised in recent years about the risk of severe side effects allegedly associated with IVC filters, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings highlighting more than 900 adverse event reports submitted on behalf of individuals who suffered major complications when their IVC filters migrated out of position, perforated the vena cava, or fracture into the heart or lungs.

In light of these risks, the FDA issued a safety announcement in May 2014, urging doctors to remove IVC filters within one to two months after the risk of pulmonary embolism has subsided, to avoid devastating complications.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious IVC filter side effect, or if your loved one died, as a result of defective IVC filter, you may have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit against the device manufacturing company, in order to pursue financial compensation for your loss, injuries and medical expenses.