Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Placement

 

The inferior vena cava is the widest vein in your body. It carries blood from your lower body to your heart and lungs. In an inferior vena cava filter placement procedure, interventional radiologists use image guidance to place a filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC), the large vein in the abdomen that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the heart.

Blood clots that develop in the veins of the leg or pelvis, a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), occasionally break up and large pieces of the clot can travel to the lungs. An IVC filter is a small metal device that traps large clot fragments and prevents them from traveling through the vena cava vein to the heart and lungs, where they could cause severe complications such as pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or even death.

Until recently, IVC filters were available only as permanently implanted devices. Newer filters, called optionally retrievable filters, may be left in place permanently or have the option to potentially be removed from the blood vessel later. This removal may be performed when the risk of the clot traveling to the lung has passed. This should be assessed by a physician or the interventional radiologist who inserted the IVC filter sometime after placement, ideally less than six months after insertion. Removing an IVC filter eliminates any long-term risks of filter fracture or recurrent DVT. However, it does not address the cause of DVT. Your referring physician will determine if blood thinners are still necessary. Not all retrievable IVC filters should be removed if the risk of clots traveling to the lung persists and if blood thinners continue to be unusable. These filters can be left in place as permanent filters, but many filters can be removed even after being in place for several years.

What are some common uses of the procedure?

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are placed in patients who have a history of or are at risk of developing blood clots in the legs, including patients:

• diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

• with pulmonary embolism.

• trauma victims?

IVC filters are used when patients cannot be successfully treated by other methods, including blood thinning agents

Riskfactor

• Infection

• Excess bleeding

• Allergic reaction

• Damage to the blood vessel at the insertion site

• Blockage of blood flow through the vena cava, which can cause leg swelling

• A filter that travels to the heart or lungs, causing injury or death

• A filter that pierces through the inferior vena cava, causing pain or damage to other organs

• Problem with placement of the filter

• Continued risk of a blood clot that travels to the lungs

Accounting for thorough experience and practice, Dr. Aritra Konar is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata. He has been deemed one of the best cardiologists in Kolkata for his expertise lies in Coronary (femoral & radial routes) angiography, Coronary angioplasty (including primary angioplasty), Peripheral angiography and angioplasty, Permanent pacemaker, ICD, CRT implantation, BMV, BPV, Right heart catheterization and so on, in procedural skills. His guidance is trusted and so are his skills.