IVC (Inferior Vena Cava) filters are designed to prevent dangerous clots, but these small devices have resulted in blood clot filter injuries.

Patients at risk of blood clots who cannot tolerate anticoagulant (blood thinner) medications often receive an IVC filter to prevent blood clots. However, they run the risk of blood clot filter injuries.

Designed to be a temporary solution, IVC filters are placed in the inferior vena cava artery right below the kidneys.

This placement is supposed to allow the filter to trap blood clots, keeping the clots from reaching the lungs where they could be fatal.

As the largest vein in the body, the inferior vena cava moves de-oxygenated blood from the legs to the heart and on to the lungs.

A metal cage-like structure, the IVC filter is placed in the vein by a doctor who uses a catheter that is inserted through a small incision in the neck or groin area. The IVC filter is placed in the vein to trap blood clots before they go any further.

Problems arise, however, when devices break apart and cause blood clot filter injuries, such as vein and organ perforation.

Blood Clot Filter Injuries

The first IVC filter was approved by the FDA in 1979. Nearly 260,000 patients had received IVC filters by 2012.

From 2005 to 2010, the FDA received 921 reports of adverse events from retrievable IVC filters. Most of the issues, 35 percent of them, were related to device migration.

Other problems included filter perforation, filter fracture and detached device components, also called device embolization.

Certain Brands Show More Problems

Over the years, particular brands have been shown to cause more blood clot filter injuries.

C.R. Bard began making the Recovery IVC filter in 2003. One study indicated a 25 percent failure rate from the Recovery filter breaking apart or fracturing.

In 2005, C.R. Bard introduced the Bard G2, which had a 12 percent failure rate and quickly was pulled off the market. Its 2008 model, the G2 Express, fared no better.

Another manufacturer prone to problems is Cook Medical. Their Gunther Tulip and Celect IVC filters both perforated the vena cava wall in several patients within days of implantation.

A stunning 40 percent of patients experienced filter migration.

Removals Not Occurring Soon Enough

Retrievable IVC filters are designed to be in the body for a minimal amount of time.

The FDA updated the recommendations in 2014, advising that IVC filters be removed between the 29^th and 54^th day after implantation, as soon as the risk of pulmonary embolisms subsided.

Most blood clot filter injuries occur when the devices are left in longer than necessary. The longer an IVC filter is left in the body, the greater chance the device will migrate or break.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study in 2013 that indicted doctors removed only 58 of 679 retrievable IVC filters.

When the filters stayed in longer than needed, more than 18 percent of the attempts to finally remove the filters failed, and a quarter of the patients suffered pulmonary embolisms.

One of the reasons for delayed removal is, many times, the doctor who implants the device is not a physician who has anything to do with the original reason the person is in the hospital.

The IVC filter doctor implants the device, and that part of the job is done. Patients should follow up with a primary care doctor for advice on having the filter removed before blood clot filter injuries occur.

If you or someone you know has received an IVC filter and suffered from subsequent injuries, you could be eligible for compensation through a class action lawsuit.