Is IVC Filter The Same As A Stent?

Quick Insights

• IVC filters and stents are different devices with different purposes. The IVC filter prevents blood clots from reaching the patient’s lungs, while a stent keeps a narrowed vein open and ensures uninterrupted blood flow to the heart.
  
• IVC filters are known to cause serious – even fatal – complications. They are often left inside a patient for too long and can fracture or migrate to other parts of the patient’s body.
  
• If you or a loved one has experienced any health issues due to an IVC filter, contact Tosi Law to discuss your eligibility for financial compensation.

IVC filters and stents are not the same thing. Doctors implant both medical devices in a blood vessel, but that is where the similarities end. Stents allow the blood vessels to remain open and allow blood to pass through with ease. Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters prevent pulmonary embolisms by preventing blood clots from reaching to the lungs.

Doctors typically place stents permanently, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that IVC filters as soon as possible. Some patients may have both stents and an IVC filter implanted.

Stents Versus IVC Filters: Understanding the Difference

IVC filters and stents have different purposes. Doctors implant them for different reasons and each can have its own unique side effects and complications. IVC filters are more dangerous, as the likelihood of a serious complication is much higher with an IVC filter than with a stent.

IVC Filters

IVC filters are tiny, spider-shaped devices that hook into the walls of the patient’s inferior vena cava vein—the large blood vessel that circulates blood from the lower body to the heart. The filter is designed to snare blood clots before they can reach the patient’s lungs and cause a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. 

Most patients who receive this type of implant are at an increased risk for blood clots, often because of deep vein thrombosis.

It is important to note that treatment with an IVC filter should only be a temporary treatment plan. If left in place too long, they can cause many problems. This includes having their thin, metal legs break off and travel to the heart, lungs, or elsewhere. In some cases, complications may occur even before the recommended time for removal elapses.

Stents

Most stents are small, metallic mesh tubes. They are placed in the smallest veins or arteries, holding them open when narrowing, blockage, or other problems occur. These permanently implanted devices ensure an uninterrupted blood flow to the patient’s heart–a key part of heart attack prevention. 

Stents are the first line of defense for many patients who suffer from an increased risk of myocardial infarction.

Stent placement is very common among cardiac patients, and the risks they pose to them are relatively low. The most common complication is a blockage or blood clot in the stent, but most patients take prescription blood thinners to prevent this.

Many People Report Issues with IVC Filters

There are thousands of claims pending against manufacturers of IVC filters, with plaintiffs claiming that the devices caused them to suffer painful, debilitating, and potentially deadly complications. 

Despite the FDA’s recommendation that these filters only remain in place as long as necessary—with removal preferably scheduled between 29 and 54 days after placement—studies show that far too many remain in place for months, years, or even permanently.

The reported issues with IVC filters include:

• Filter migration, including causing a pulmonary embolism if it reaches the lungs.
• Getting embedded into the walls of the vein or other tissues.
• Filter fracture that allows pieces to travel to the heart or lungs or get embedded in other body parts.
• Vein wall perforation or perforation of organs by broken metal filter “legs”.

IVC filters are notoriously difficult to remove since they can become permanently embedded in the patient’s vein even when removal is attempted within the recommended 29 – 54 timeframe. However, the longer they remain in place, the greater the risk of suffering a complication.

You Might Be Eligible to Pursue a Payout If You Suffered IVC Filter Complications

If you suffered complications related to an IVC filter, including if doctors failed to remove your filter or could not remove the filter, you might be eligible to pursue compensation. Typically, financial restitution includes the loss of past and future earnings, the cost of medical care, pain and suffering, attorney’s fees, and more.

We can join a mass tort already in progress, help form a new one, or pursue your claim on its own.

The IVC blood clot filter lawsuit lawyers at Tosi Law LLP will review the facts of your case and take legal action at no out-of-pocket cost to you. We handle these cases on a contingency basis, so we only get paid when you do.

Call us today at 888-311-8292 for your confidential, no-cost consultation with a member of our team.

Call Tosi Law if You Have Questions

If you or a loved one has developed multiple myeloma or any other type of cancer after being exposed to Roundup, you could be entitled to compensation. Please call Tosi Law LLP at 888-311-8292 for more information. Our defective product lawyers are ready to help you file a Roundup lawsuit.

Call Today