IVC Filter Placement/Retrieval Q & A
What is an IVC Filter?
Blood clots in the legs and pelvis can potentially migrate to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolus. Patients with the presence of a blood clot in their legs, may not be suitable candidates for blood thinners due to high bleeding risk, and may require alternative treatments to reduce the risk of clot burden in the lungs or heart. A metal filtering device is placed inside the large vein in the abdomen (inferior vena cava) that returns blood to the heart.
The IVC filter can be removed at a later time, once the risk of blood clot has been reduced.