We report a case of a 58-year-old female who was found to have a fractured limb of her IVC filter in her right ventricle during a cardiac catheterization. A 25 mm radioopaque thin linear structure was seen in the proximal portion of the right ventricle. It was fixed and did not migrate or change position during investigations. On fluoroscopy, the IVC filter was observed in an appropriate location in the midabdomen. Yet, fractures of at least two of the metal filamentous legs of the IVC device were noticed. The patient was made aware of the many risks associated with filter removal. Due to the high risks of the procedure, she refused surgery and the filter fragment was not removed. We present this case to underscore the potential complications of IVC filters.
Arterial stiffening is associated with a number of known cardiovascular risk factors, including advancing age, increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and obesity. Many methodologies, both invasive and noninvasive, have been applied to the assessment of the stiffening of large elastic arteries in vivo, but there is no economically and/or universally accepted means of screening patients for atherosclerosis. From preliminary studies, a novel parameter, arterial relaxation time, has been identified as a potential indicator for inferring the elasticity of arteries. Preliminary measurements of arterial relaxation time of six normotensive subjects are significantly less than measurements of four hypertensive subjects.
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