Plaintiffs in numerous lawsuits claim that medical device manufacturers failed to consider the serious, potentially fatal side effects of an IVC filter when these devices were designed. Intended to be temporarily deployed in a patient’s major artery as a way to catch blood clots before they can reach the heart, brain or lungs, IVC filters may be prone to breakage and migration and are extraordinarily difficult to remove.

What is an IVC Filter?

“IVC” stands for inferior vena cava. This term refers to the primary artery running from the lower body to the heart. The IVC filter was designed to be inserted into this artery in order to prevent blood clots from reaching vital organs and causing a stroke or embolism in patients who are at risk for thrombosis and are unable to tolerate anticoagulant medications. They are typically implanted in patients who have undergone knee or hip surgery.

There are several different types and models of IVC filters; in general, however, they all resemble a cellar spider (“daddy longlegs”), being made of metal wires with hooks on the end. The hooks embed the device into the arterial wall, holding it in place, while the wire “legs” form the cage that is intended to trap any blood clots.

What Are Side Effects of an IVC Filter?

IVC filter complications can occur during the insertion process.  Although rare — major complications during implantation occur in fewer than 1 percent of procedures — in a small number of cases, the patient may develop what is known as an AVF, or arteriovenous fistula. An AVF is an abnormal connection between the artery and a vein. Because the device is inserted using a catheter and a guidewire in order to thread it through to the inferior vena cava, there is a risk of collapsed lung or blood pooling between the lung surface and the inner chest wall. Ironically, up to 35 percent of patients wind up developing a blood clot at the insertion site, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The most serious and common complications happen when the device comes loose and starts to migrate, fractures and comes apart, or both. The device can twist, damaging and puncturing the artery walls before it is carried in the bloodstream to other organs. Likewise, when the device fractures, the shards can lodge in organ tissue and cause perforation, resulting in excruciating pain.

Can an IVC Filter be Removed?

Although IVC filters were intended to be retrievable, they are removed in only about 33 percent of patients. There are a number of removal techniques. According to an article in JAMA Internal Medicine, removal can become increasingly difficult if the device has migrated or fractured. The FDA recommends that IVC filters not remain in a patient any longer than absolutely necessary. The longer it’s in place, the greater the risk of IVC filter side effects.

Were The Side Effects of an IVC Filter Known to Manufacturers?

If the side effects weren’t known to manufacturers, they should have been. Injury lawsuits against IVC filter makers claim these devices were defectively designed. A number of medical device manufacturers have wound up paying sizable judgments to plaintiffs who have suffered as a result of IVC filter side effects.