Many IVC filter patients are unaware of the implants in their own bodies. Many people implanted with the strange umbrella-skein like device in their inferior vena cava (vein beneath the heart) have it implanted without their knowledge or consent when they enter a hospital as trauma patients. Trauma patients comprise some 30% of the IVC filter market, and studies show that implanting them with IVC filters is a highly questionable practice.No Survival Benefit for Trauma Patients
One study examined 803 patients who received an IVC filter after a traumatic event that occurred from 2010 to 2014. The results were surprising and unsettling. Not only did patients who received IVC filters fail to receive any survival benefit, they also suffered an increased rate of deep-vein thrombosis. Deep-vein thrombosis can be as life threatening as a loose blood clot the filters are promoted to prevent.
IVC Filters Deep Vein Thrombosis Risk
Deep vein thrombosis refers to a blood clot formed deep in the body, usually in the legs. The authors of the study concluded that, “High rates of (preventative) IVC filter placement have no effect on reducing trauma patient mortality and are associated with an increase in DVT events.”
IVC Filter Patients Unaware of Implants
Patients who are unaware of their filter implants are especially at risk, because unknown temporary implants left inside a person past the indication (when blood clot risk has passed) become increasingly difficult to remove.
Unretrieved Filters carry Long-term Risks
A 2013 paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) notes that unretrieved removable filters may carry significant long-term risks. The paper (from Dr. Shayna Sarosiek and others) cites data from a review of 37 studies that confirm the increased rate of complications when filters are left in place for longer than 30 days and indicate a retrieval rate of some 34%.
Authors of the paper – Indications, Complications, and Management of Inferior Vena Cava Filters – said that the risks “seem to increase with the length of time that the filter is in place.”
FDA: Remove Filters when PE Risk Subsides
The Food and Drug Administration recommends that IVC filters should be removed just as soon as the risk of PE has subsided. Study evidence, however, shows that is not what is happening. And how can people have their filters removed when they don’t even know they have one implanted? You know medical device implantation, the entire train of the medical system has run off the tracks, when people can be implanted with a dangerous device without their knowledge or consent. A device that shows no proof of safety or efficacy.
Free Legal Consultation
Matthews & Associates is handling IVC filter cases nationwide. If you or someone you love was implanted with a Bard IVC Filter, Cook IVC Filter, or some other blood clot filter, contact us now for a free legal consultation regarding a potential IVC Filter Lawsuit.
Related
- IVC Filter Lawsuit
- Bard IVC Filter Lawsuit
- IVC Filters not retrieved
- IVC Filters not FDA Approved
- IVC Filter Problems Unreported
by Matthews & Associates
