Vein Filters Can Move, Cause Problems

Some people get tiny filters implanted in a vein to keep blood clots in the legs from reaching the lungs. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the filters can move or break. The FDA said it had received more than 900 reports of these problems since 2005. Problems occur mainly when the filters are left in for a long time. Pieces can break off, travel through the bloodstream, and punch holes in organs, the FDA said. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the FDA warning August 9. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published a report about the same problem. The study focused on 80 patients at one hospital. All received filters made by C.R. Bard Inc. About 16% of the filters broke and drifted away. The break rate was 25% among people who had an older model. The older filters had been implanted an average of 4 years, twice as long as the newer filters.