Long-term IVC filter complications can arise when these medical devices are left in a patient more than a year.

A recent study from the Department of Radiology, Baylor Scott & White Health, Dallas, Texas and the Department of Interventional Radiology, Texas A&M Health Science Center examined a case in which a patient had an IVC filter for 2,310 days.

The woman had undergone a liver transplant and needed bed rest for two subsequent weeks.

She was not able to take blood thinners because of the bleeding risk. She received an IVC (inferior vena cava) filter to reduce her risk of blood clots.

IVC filters are designed to prevent dangerous clots, but these small devices have resulted in long-term IVC filter complications.

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

This placement is supposed to allow the filter to trap blood clots, keeping the clots from reaching the lungs where a clot 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.

Long-term IVC filter complications can include devices breaking apart and causing blood clot filter injuries such as vein and organ perforation.

Long-Term IVC Filter Complications

Six years after receiving the IVC filter, the woman had a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis completed to examine her for unrelated maladies.

The CT scan incidentally showed the fracture of two of the IVC filter’s prongs that were completely broken away from the medical device.

One was located in the abdomen, just behind the abdominal wall. The second piece was located just below the first.

The IVC filter appeared to have tilted to a 15-degree angle. When it was placed, the filter was not tilted at all.

Since the woman was now able to walk and move about, she no longer needed protection from blood clots, but the removal of her IVC filter was complicated.

Unable to remove the filter through conventional snare techniques, doctors used two coaxial sheaths positioned over a wire to remove it.

Overview of Long-Term IVC Filter Retrieval

Even a device that is positioned correctly at the beginning can move or become damaged, presumably due to the motions caused by blood flow.

The constant motion can lead to metal fatigue, causing the tiny arms or struts of the device to break away.

In some cases, tissue adhered to the filters, causing fibrosis.

Once a filter tips or a strut abuts the wall of the inferior vena cava, the possibility of fibrosis or of puncturing increases.

The FDA advises an IVC filter be removed as soon as the risk of a stroke or pulmonary embolism has subsided in order to avoid long-term IVC filter complications.