Most patients at risk of developing blood clots are given blood thinners, but among those for whom blood thinners present a danger, doctors often use inferior vena cava filters, or IVC filters.

The IVC was first used in 1979. By 2012, doctors had inserted IVC filters into more than 250,000 patients.

The IVC filter is placed inside the inferior vena cava, the largest vein in the human body. The inferior vena cava returns blood to the heart and then the lungs. Blood clots in this vein are extremely dangerous.

Blood clots that travel to the lungs can become a pulmonary embolism (PE), which can cut off blood flow to the lungs. PE causes about 300,000 deaths every year, though they are preventable with the right measures.

Blood thinners or IVC filters are used to stop the clotting before it reaches the lungs. IVC filters are small, wiry metal devices implanted in a patient’s veins to trap blood clots before they can do serious damage.

Some IVC filters are made to be removed eventually, once they are no longer needed. Doctors remove the filters in much the same way they were inserted, using a catheter through the vein to grab the filter, which is then covered and pulled out. Retrievable IVC filters are removed once the patient is no longer at risk for PE.

Retrievable IVC filters are the type of IVC filters involved in lawsuits. These filters can lead to complications such as blood vessel and/or organ perforation, filter migration, and even devices breaking apart inside of patients.

Since 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received 921 reports of dangerous filter complications. The most common complication was device migration, which 35% of reports included. Device migration occurs when the entire filter moves away from its original location.

A recent research study revealed that many retrievable IVC filters were not removed when they should have been, as the patient was no longer at risk of PE. Because these devices were made for temporary usage, they were not intended to stay in the body permanently. Almost 20% of patients suffered failed attempts at IVC filter removable. Many other patients had venous thrombotic events, mostly pulmonary embolism, the issue these devices were meant to solve.

Several studies have revealed the retrievable IVC filters most prone to failure. These are:

• Bard Recovery filter
• Bard G2 filter
• Gunther Tulip filters
• Cook Celect filters

The Bard Recovery filter had a failure rate of about 25%, causing the device to fracture or break apart. The Bard G2 filter had a 12% failure rate. All of Gunther Tulip and Cook Celect filters punctured patients’ veins, and 40% of the filters migrated out of place.

Injured patients have filed lawsuits against IVC filter makers, citing organ damage due to filter migration and breaks, as well as other complications. If you or someone you know has experienced complications caused by retrievable IVC filters, you may have cause to file a lawsuit.