IVC filter indications become relevant when people who cannot tolerate anticoagulant medications are in danger of a blood clot.

At the same time, patients who already take blood thinners may not benefit from use of an IVC filter, and such use may potentially cause harm, according to a new study.

In this newest study, researchers from Hospital Nord in Saint-Etienne, France, reported that recurrence of a pulmonary embolism was twice as common within 3 months with the IVC filters as with anticoagulant medicine alone.

These findings were published in the April 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers observed 399 patients hospitalized at 17 French centers for acute, symptomatic pulmonary embolism determined severe by at least one measure and associated with lower-limb vein thrombosis – meaning they were at a high risk of recurrence.

“These findings do not support the use of this type of filter in patients who can be treated with anticoagulation,” the researchers concluded.

Complications with IVC Filters

Introduced in 1979, IVC filters are small cage-like structures that capture blood clots in the inferior vena cava before the clots can travel to the lungs, where they could result in a pulmonary embolism.

IVC filter indications and complications have been studied in recent years. The FDA recommends retrievable IVC filters be removed once the threat of pulmonary embolisms or deep vein thrombosis has passed.

According to the National Institutes of Health regarding IVC indications, “IVC filters do appear to prevent PE, but in certain cases may be associated with excessive recurrent DVT and IVC filter thrombosis.”

IVC filters are fragile mechanisms. Some of these structures look like spiders, with moveable “legs” that can break away and travel to other parts of the body. There have been reports of filter pieces tearing blood vessels as they make their way through the body.

In some instances, broken pieces have even pierced the heart. In other instances, the entire IVC filter has migrated to other parts of the body.

Surgeons have reported leaving broken pieces of IVC filters within a patient’s body if retrieval would be too risky

The longer an IVC filter is in the body, the greater the chance of complications. For that reason, the FDA and the NIH recommend retrievable IVC filters be taken out after the threat of blood clots is gone.

What Are Some IVC Filter Indications?

When people endure serious injuries or undergo surgeries, their risk of blood clots increases. In these patients, IVC filter indications may make implantation of a filter preferable to use of medication.

An IVC filter might be preferred over anticoagulant medications (commonly called blood thinners) when there is a risk the patient could develop uncontrollable bleeding. Any invasive surgery or severe injury could result in a bleeding risk.

Among the situations in which a doctor could find IVC filter indications are:

• Gun shot or stabbing wounds
• Spinal cord injury
• Cancer
• Car accidents
• Emergency surgery
• Dialysis treatment

If you have received an IVC filter that has caused complications, you could be eligible for compensation through an IVC filter lawsuit. A consultation with a knowledgeable IVC filter attorney can tell you what you need to know about your legal options.