After being implanted with an inferior vena cava filter, or IVC filter, some patients may experience severe complications, reports indicate.

Patients have reported a number of serious and even permanently damaging side effects, and some have responded by filing lawsuits against inferior vena cava filter manufacturers.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Background

Blood clots are a dangerous problem many Americans face that can cause a variety of serious and even life-threatening issues.

Many patients take a blood thinning medication, or anticoagulant, in order to prevent the formation of blood clots. For other patients, however, a blood thinner may be too dangerous, and they must choose a different option.

An inferior vena cava filter, also known as IVC filter or blood clot filter, is the other option.

A method used to prevent a patient injuries from clotting, the inferior vena cava filter device is used to prevent blood clots from entering important areas of the body, especially the patient’s lungs or heart. As the name suggests, the inferior vena cava filter is inserted into the largest vein in the body, the inferior vena cava.

While blood thinners are extremely popular, IVC filters are also a widespread method of blood clot prevention. Indeed, nearly a quarter of a million patients are implanted with inferior vena cava filter devices each year.

However, despite the widespread use of these devices, IVC filters have become increasingly linked with serious—and perhaps even fatal—complications.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Side Effects

Major inferior vena cava filter side effects can occur if the IVC filter device is defective or incorrectly placed in the vein. A defective or incorrectly placed device can cause serious inferior vena cava filter side effects, including the following:

• Vein perforation
• Organ perforation
• Device migration/breakage
• Pulmonary embolism

These complications can in many cases be extreme enough to warrant IVC filter removal. Filter removal, however, can lead to its own problems—including but not limited to both migration and breakage. In some more serious cases, it may be too dangerous for blood clot filter removal, as any movement could cause immediate serious damage.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Lawsuits

A growing number of patients who have experienced serious IVC filter removal problems such as perforation are responding by filing lawsuits against manufacturers of their device, alleging that the filters are not worth the risk.

Lawsuits further allege that manufacturers intentionally concealed the seriousness of side effects from consumers and the larger medical community, placing company profit over consumer safety.

Lawsuits over inferior vena cava filter problems allege that device manufacturers have a responsibility to warn consumers and the medical community about the risks associated with their filter devices.

Filing an inferior vena cava filter lawsuit cannot repair the damage a patient suffers, but can help compensate for financial losses from medical expenses and lost wages a patient may experience.

If you or someone you know has been implanted with an inferior vena cava filter and suffered from side effects such as perforation, you may be able to file a lawsuit.