Premium
Spontaneous migration of an inferior vena cava filter resulting in cardiac tamponade and percutaneous filter retrieval
Author(s) -
Vergara Gaston R.,
Wallace William F.,
Bennett Kenneth R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
catheterization and cardiovascular interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1522-726X
pISSN - 1522-1946
DOI - 10.1002/ccd.21010
Subject(s) - medicine , inferior vena cava , tamponade , percutaneous , cardiac tamponade , inferior vena cava filter , pulmonary embolism , surgery , perforation , radiology , embolus , cardiology , thrombosis , venous thrombosis , punching , metallurgy , materials science
Thromboembolic disease accounts for thousands of hospitalizations every year in the US. Its primary management consists of anticoagulation. However, in certain instances this may be contraindicated or not sufficient. Mechanic occlusion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) becomes then a viable alternative. In this case a 35‐year‐old man presented with a saddle pulmonary embolus but was unable to be anticoagulated due to intestinal bleed. A removable IVC filter was then placed. The filter spontaneously migrated into the right atrium causing severe tricuspid regurgitation, perforation of the atrial wall, and cardiac tamponade. The device was successfully retrieved percutaneously and the patient discharged from the hospital in stable condition. This case illustrates the potentially lethal complications associated with the use of IVC filters, as well as the possibility to percutaneously recover them from within the right atrium. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.