Across America, patients are reporting problems after having an IVC filter procedure and that the devices were defectively made.

IVC filter complications often reported include perforation, device migration, device fracturing, and broken pieces, causing life-threatening situations for many patients.

IVC filters are small metal cage-like devices directly implanted into the inferior vena cava to stop blood clots from traveling to the lungs or heart. When IVC filters were first introduced in 1979, these devices were meant to be permanently implanted in the patient’s inferior vena cava to prevent pulmonary embolism.

Typically doctors consider IVC filter placement necessary when patients cannot take blood thinners for medical reasons, and when the patient is at high risk for blood clot formation. The inferior vena cava is the largest vein in the body and is primarily responsible for moving deoxygenated blood from the lower legs to the heart and lungs.

To prevent blood clots from traveling up to the lungs or heart, doctors perform the IVC filter placement procedure. IVC filter placement consists of the doctor inserting the device using a catheter into the inferior vena cava through a small incision in the neck or groin.

Once the IVC filter procedure is complete, the device will stop and trap blood clots before they reach the lungs. Even though IVC filters were originally meant to be permanent fixtures, temporary models were recently developed to be later removed once the blood clots resolve themselves.

Doctors remove the temporary models in a similar IVC filter procedure, using a dye fluid and x-ray to insure a safe procedure. Once the IVC filter removal is complete, patients can return to their routine lives and be vigilant for any recurrence of blood clot formation.

However, a number of patients have reportedly suffered IVC filter complications soon after having the device implanted.

IVC Filter Complications

Among the most commonly reported IVC filter complications are vein and organ perforation, migration, and the device breaking apart.

Patients have reported that broken pieces of the devices travel through the body, damaging organs along the way. Oftentimes these problems become so severe that IVC filter removal becomes necessary for the patients.

In 2010, the FDA announced that it had received 900 IVC filter complications reports over the last five years. The agency stated that the majority of these injuries stemmed from the temporary IVC filter models, indicating that they may be inferior to their permanent counterparts.

The agency recommended that physicians perform IVC filter removal to prevent potential injuries. Recently the FDA gave an updated warning in May 2014, stating that IVC filter complications are much more likely if the temporary models stay implanted for a long period of time.

The agency recommended that device should be removed between 29 and 54 days, after the blood clots are resolved. A number of patients who suffered IVC filter complications allege that the devices were defectively made and the manufacturing companies acted negligently.

Patients who were affected by these IVC filter complications may be eligible to file a claim against the manufacturing companies for design negligence.