Rising Retrieval Rates of Inferior Vena Cava Filters in the United States: Insights From the 2012 to 2016 Summary Medicare Claims Data

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval Trends: A Single-Center Experience

“…Another study using Medicare claims data reported a 22.1% retrieval rate per annual filters placed in 2016. 16 In our cohort, the overall retrieval rate of 21% at 1 year was comparable to the 2014 estimate. When attempted, the success rate of filter retrieval was high at 98%, similar to other reports.…”

“…14 Despite an increase in VCF retrieval in the United States following the 2010 FDA advisory statement [15][16][17][18] and several studies reporting retrieval rates of up to 85% following the implementation of structured follow-up programs, [19][20][21][22][23] at a national level, VCF retrieval rates remain low with an estimated average of 25 to 30% at 1 year. 13,16,18,24,25 European retrieval rates tend to be higher but vary from approximately 40 9,26 to 77% at 1 year. 27 Most available U.S. estimates used data prior to the second FDA warning (2014) and were based on national data which are prone to inherent bias (in-hospital data and coding bias) and lacked the granularity to assess the impact of demographic or clinical factors on retrieval rates.…”

Procedural complications of inferior vena cava filter retrieval, an illustrated review

“…Complications of in situ filters include cardiac migration, leg fracture with or without embolization, caval thrombosis and symptomatic caval penetration by filter legs (Grewal et al 2016). Because of the increased recognition of in situ filter complications and advances in retrieval techniques, filter retrieval rates have increased over the years (Angel et al 2011;Ahmed et al 2018) To avoid complications of in situ filters, removal is indicated when the filter is no longer needed (Table 2). Maintenance of patients on therapeutic anticoagulation at the time of retrieval is recommended (Kaufman et al 2006) and is not associated with increased risk of retrieval complications (Schmelzer et al 2008).…”

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Evaluation and Management for the Diagnostic Radiologist: A Comprehensive Review Including Inferior Vena Cava Filter-Related Complications and PRESERVE Trial Filters

“…In 2010, the FDA issued a safety warning to physicians involved in IVC filter placement to reduce the incidence of filter-associated complications by appropriately following patients for removal when the need for mechanical caval filtration subsided. In the immediate years following the advisory, the use of filters declined at a 6.7% compounded annual rate and retrievals correspondingly began to increase [1,2,60]. Despite this, the national net yearly filter retrieval rate remains very low (around 20%), indicating more progress is still needed in achieving optimal filter follow-up and removal [61,62].…”