Retrieval of Inferior Vena Cava Filters after Prolonged Indwelling Time

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-28-2011

Abstract

Pulmonary embolus (PE) remains the leading cause of preventable mortality in surgical patients and the third leading cause of death in hospitalized trauma patients.1 This has contributed to the 4-fold rise in use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters following Food and Drug Administration approval of the first retrievable (or optional) IVC filter in 2003.2 Although IVC filters are efficient at preventing PE, they may be associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis3,4 and other complications.5 Filter retrieval rates remain less than 50%, with many reports citing an incidence less than 15%.6,7 Some reasons for failure of retrieval are related to prolonged indwelling time with associated potential for complications and medical comorbidities, which may also increase the risk of the procedure and/or increase mortality in cases of subsequent PE. We summarize our experience with successful filter retrieval after a prolonged indwelling time and also to describe barriers encountered in removing filters.

Publication Title

Archives of Internal Medicine

Volume

171

Issue

21

First Page

1953

Last Page

1955

PubMed ID

22123810

Comments

This article was published in Archives of Internal Medicine, Volume 171, Issue 21, November 28, 2011, Pages 1953-5.

The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.526

Copyright © 2011 American Medical Association

Erratum in Archives of Internal Medicine: 2012 Feb 13;172(3):218.

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