The track record for blood clot filters shows they are more dangerous than originally expected.

IVC filters may come with significant complications and risks that could be daunting if you look at them apart from the condition they were intended to treat—Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). DVT is—in and of itself—a life-threatening condition where blood clots created in the lower extremities can break off and travel systemically through the circulatory system.

When a blood clot breaks off and travels, it can obstruct the essential functions of the heart and lungs and produce a fatal heart attack, respiratory arrest, or stroke. Clots that lodge in the lungs are typically referred to as a pulmonary embolism or PE.

Are DVT And PE The Only Conditions For Which Blood Clot Filters Are Employed?

Blood clot filters placed in the inferior vena cava used to be permanently placed and were strictly for those patients with a quantifiable history of DVT. Those patients had to have been tried on oral blood-thinning medications or have a contraindicated reason why this avenue of treatment would be inappropriate, according to Radiologyinfo.org.

With the development of the purportedly retrievable lines of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) blood clot filters, the devices began to be used in a prophylactic way. This meant that if a patient was deemed to be at risk for blood clot formation and PE, they were often fitted with one.

According to Radiologyinfo.org, those considered to be at risk were trauma victims, cancer patients, and those forced to be immobile for any lengthy course of treatment such as a total hip or knee replacement.

What Are Some Of The Risks And Complications?

As indicated by Dr. Knavel Koepsel of the Mayo Clinic, the IVC filter can break into pieces and those pieces or the main body of the device can them move throughout or puncture parts of the anatomy. The contraption—meant to filter out blood clots before they return to the heart—can also stimulate a foreign body response. This response can lead to scar tissue formation that can partially occlude the vein by narrowing its interior width.

Pain from a puncture in the IVC is unlikely to be noted by the patient. Blood vessels do not have their own nerve endings and do not alert the brain to pending problems. If a piece has broken off and becomes lodged elsewhere, however, the IVC filter recipient might experience pain in their back, stomach or elsewhere in the abdominal region.

Migration from the original site of implantation within the IVC can also be a problem. This issue has been largely connected with failure to correctly size a device and with certain varieties of filters which have been recalled from the market. It still is a problem, however, among those varieties still used today.

Are There Ways To Minimize The Risks Of An IVC Filter Placement?

All medical procedures come with risks and these should be thoroughly reviewed through a cost-benefit analysis with your physician before employment. If used, the IVC filter device should be used only as long as needed and be regularly monitored using radiological imaging to ensure it remains intact.