A retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a tiny mesh filter that can be placed in the IVC to prevent blood clots in the legs from traveling up to the lungs to cause a pulmonary embolism.
Typically, when a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the leg) has been diagnosed, blood thinners will be prescribed first, to prevent the clot from moving and help it to dissolve without danger. If the blood thinners are not proving effective or if you cannot take blood thinners for some reason, a filter may be implanted.
A long flexible catheter is inserted into your blood vessel and the guided via fluoroscopy (live x-ray) to the inferior vena cava. The filter is deployed by the catheter and left in place to catch any clots that start traveling to your lungs. The filter may be left in place or it may be removed when the clot has dissolved.
IVC filter placement is a catheter-based procedure performed by our doctors at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. The procedure takes about an hour and a short hospital stay is expected.