Inferior vena cava filters may help when anticoagulants cannot. However, many patients have given reports of blood clot filter injury after implantation.

What is an IVC Filter?

An inferior vena cava filter, or IVC filter, is a small, metal device that is designed to catch blood clots before they travel to the heart or lungs.

The device was first approved for use in 1979. Since then, nearly 300,000 IVC filters have been inserted in patients.

A patient who has a risk of blood clots may receive treatment via a blood thinning medication. If an anticoagulant is not a good option for the patient, an inferior vena cava filter may be recommended.

The filter is implanted in the inferior vena cava, the main vein of the body, where it catches and holds any blood clots until they are dissolved.

If these blood clots move from the lower body to the heart or lungs, they can cause a blood clot filter injury like difficulty breathing and pain in the chest. These traveling blood clots can also induce heart attack or pulmonary embolism.

By preventing clots from moving toward the heart and lungs, an IVC filter helps prevent potentially life-threatening conditions.

These filters are sometimes implanted in patients who have undergone a lower extremity surgery such as a hip replacement or knee replacement. Such surgeries tend to increase the patient’s risk of blood clots.

Other reasons a patient might need an inferior vena cava filter include:

• Car accidents
• Voluntary or emergency surgeries
• Gunshot or stabbing injuries
• Dialysis treatment
• Spinal cord injury
• Cancer diagnosis or treatment
• Serious falls

Some IVC filters are designed to be permanent, and others are designed to be removed. The chance of complications is greater when the IVC filter is not removed.

Warnings About Blood Clot Filter Injury

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that the most frequently reported blood clot filter injury complications are the most common complications associated with IVC filters include:

• IVC thrombosis
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Access site thrombosis
• Filter migration
• Caval penetration
• IVC filter fracture

In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety communication regarding the possibility of blood clot filter injury. They noted that they had received 921 adverse event reports in just 5 years.

Continuing studies regarding IVC filters are consistent with the FDA’s 2010 findings.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the failure rates of IVC filters. It found that when filters remained in patients longer than was necessary, 18.3% of removals failed, nearly 8% of patients had venous thrombotic events, and 25 patients suffered pulmonary embolisms.

Essentially, the FDA has cautioned that many of the IVC filter complications were related to long-term use of the device. The agency encourages doctors to consider the risks and benefits of IVC filter removal for each person.