How do you deploy an IVC filter?

The IVC filter is placed through a small incision in a vein in your groin or neck. A thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into this vein. The catheter is then gently moved into your IVC. A collapsed IVC filter is sent with the catheter.

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How long does IVC filter surgery take?

Your doctor will position the IVC filter in the vein using a fluoroscopy (real-time x-rays). The procedure will take about 30 minutes, but you should expect to be in the procedure room for about an hour. You’ll have a follow-up appointment 4 to 6 weeks after placement to see when your IVC filter can be removed.

How do I retrieve my IVC filter?

The procedure to remove the IVC filter is similar to the procedure used to place it. A small catheter-based wire loop (snare) is inserted into the large vein in the neck. A removable IVC filter contains a small hook at one end. With X-ray guidance, your doctor uses the snare to grasp the hook and withdraw the filter.

When should an IVC filter be placed?

Prophylactic indications for IVC filter placement are those in which a patient does not have VTE, but is at risk of developing DVT and/or PE and cannot receive anticoagulation or be monitored for the development of VTE.

Where is the vena cava located?

The IVC lies along the right anterolateral aspect of the vertebral column and passes through the central tendon of the diaphragm around the T8 vertebral level. The IVC is a large blood vessel responsible for transporting deoxygenated blood from the lower extremities and abdomen back to the right atrium of the heart.

Can you get a PE with an IVC filter?

For permanent filters, research has shown that breakthrough PE—despite the IVC filter—occurred in 0% to 6.2% of cases. One randomized controlled trial 10 showed that PE occurred in 15.1% of high-risk patients who did not receive IVC filters.

Can you get an MRI if you have an IVC filter?

Most manufacturers make their inferior vena cava (IVC) filters of non-ferromagnetic materials, meaning IVC filters are typically MRI safe.

Do you need anticoagulation after IVC filter?

Anticoagulation should be resumed in patients with an IVC filter once contraindications to anticoagulation or active bleeding complications have resolved (class I). Patients who receive retrievable IVC filters should be evaluated periodically for filter retrieval within the specific filter’s retrieval window (class I).

What are the 2 largest veins?

The vena cava are the two largest veins that carry blood into the right upper chamber of the heart (the right atrium). The superior vena cava carries blood from the brain and arms into the top of the right atrium.

What is an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement?

What is an inferior vena cava filter placement? An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a small device that can stop blood clots from going up into the lungs. The inferior vena cava is a large vein in the middle of your body. The device is put in during a short surgery.

How does an IVC filter work?

Your inferior vena cava (IVC) is the major vein that brings oxygen-poor blood from the lower body back to the heart. The heart then pumps the blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. An IVC filter is a small, wiry device. When the filter is placed in your IVC, the blood flows past the filter.

How are X-rays taken for IVC?

X-ray dye (contrast material) may be sent through into the catheter. This helps show the IVC clearly on the X-rays. Your doctor will release the filter into the IVC. Here the filter will expand and attach itself to the walls of your IVC.

How do you put a catheter in a collapsed IV?

A thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into this vein. The catheter is then gently moved into your IVC. A collapsed IVC filter is sent with the catheter. The filter is left in place, and the catheter is removed. The filter then expands and attaches itself to the walls of the IVC.