Implanting absorbable vena cava filters in patients with increased risk of pulmonary embolism resulted in a 100% clinical success rate, according to the results of a first in-human study published Tuesday.
Such filters resorb within months, eliminating the need for invasive retrieval procedures and long-term complications. Recent research has shown the feasibility of these IVC filters in animals, but the findings published Sept. 29 in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology validated the approach in eight patients, with zero filter-related adverse events.
Co-author of the study, Joseph Steele, MD, with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Department of Interventional Radiology, and colleagues noted that the risk associated with absorbable filters actually decreases over time. Complications stemming from conventional IVC filters, meanwhile, tend to rise, they explained.