Effects of thrombosed vena cava filters on blood flow: flow visualization and numerical modeling.

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are used to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with deep vein thrombosis for whom anticoagulation is contraindicated. IVC filters have been shown to be effective in trapping embolized clots and preventing PE; however, among the commercially available designs, the optimal balance of clot capture efficiency, clot dissolution, and prevention of to vena cava occlusion is unknown. Clot capture efficiency has been quantified in numerous in vitro studies, in which model clots are released into a mock circulation system, with the relative capture efficiency of various IVC filters analyzed statistically.