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IVC filter problems: what to ask your care team

An IVC filter catches clots before they reach the lungs. If you think it has caused a problem, ask your care team to check the device and your symptoms.

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Updated Oct 4, 202611 sources

This may apply to you if

  • These suggestions help you prepare for a claim check. They are not a firm's acceptance rules.
  • For a check, gather the filter brand/model and implant date if known.
  • Describe the harm and later care in your own words.

What the public record says

These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.

Matthew S. Johnson · Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine · First author, PRESERVE prospective filter study

Finding: Among 1429 consenting participants,1421 received filters; the study reported benefits and complications under its stated endpoints, without a randomized no-filter comparison.

Johnson: PRESERVE12-month outcomes, original author abstract (opens in a new tab) · Feb 23, 2023 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The evidence and its limits

54 United States study sites; first-author affiliation Indiana University · Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology · 2023

PRESERVE: Outcomes at 12 months

Design:
Cohort
Participants:
1429 consenting participants; 1421 received filters.
Finding:
Prespecified safety and effectiveness goals were met, with adverse events also recorded, including a death during attempted retrieval.
Main limitation
Prospective nonrandomized study, varied follow-up and many removed filters; no randomized untreated comparison or lifetime model-specific risk estimate. Original author abstract read; full paper and funding/conflicts not reviewed.

Read the source: PRESERVE: Outcomes at 12 months (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The short answer

What is an IVC filter complication?
It is a problem involving the filter or a related procedure. A care check must find what happened; a lawsuit claim alone does not prove the cause. [7]
Which symptoms should get prompt care?
Call a healthcare provider right away for signs of a clot. These can include a swollen painful leg or shortness of breath and pain when breathing. [9]
How are a clot and filter problem diagnosed or treated?
A clinician checks your history and may use tests for a clot. Ask what the findings show about the filter. [10]
What does filter research show?
A study at 54 US sites met its stated goals but recorded harm too. It did not prove that every model is safe for life. [11]

The process

What happens next

  1. 01

    You answer a few questions

    About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.

  2. 02

    A lawyer looks at it

    A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.

  3. 03

    The firm decides and gets in touch

    If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.

When it fits this case

  • These suggestions help you prepare for a claim check. They are not a firm's acceptance rules.
  • For a check, gather the filter brand/model and implant date if known.
  • Describe the harm and later care in your own words.
  • Ask a lawyer which claim, court and time limit apply.

What is an IVC filter complication?

It is a problem involving the filter or a related procedure. A care check must find what happened; a lawsuit claim alone does not prove the cause.

The Bard court order describes disputed claims that filters tilted, broke, moved or pierced the vein. Those allegations do not diagnose your device. Ask the clinician to distinguish a device finding from the clot condition that led to the implant.

Which symptoms should get prompt care?

Call a healthcare provider right away for signs of a clot. These can include a swollen painful leg or shortness of breath and pain when breathing.

Clot symptoms vary, and some people have none before a serious problem. Do not wait for legal records to be complete before seeking care. A symptom is not proof that the filter caused a clot.

How are a clot and filter problem diagnosed or treated?

A clinician checks your history and may use tests for a clot. Ask what the findings show about the filter.

Blood and imaging tests are chosen for the clinical question. Filter removal has its own risks and may not be right for every patient. Discuss the reason for the device and the options for your actual findings.

What does filter research show?

A study at 54 US sites met its stated goals but recorded harm too. It did not prove that every model is safe for life.

PRESERVE reports 1429 people who consented and 1421 who received a filter. There was no random assignment to a no-filter group. One person died during attempted removal; that observation does not decide the cause or rate of harm for your device.

Who may qualify for a claim check?

Ask a lawyer to check the model, harm and law. The presence of a filter or a symptom does not by itself decide a claim.

The Bard claims were disputed, and the court history is specific to Bard devices. Give the lawyer earlier clot records and other medical findings as well as reports of suspected filter harm. Ask for your own time-limit assessment.

What records help explain the problem?

Keep the implant note, device details and later scan reports. Request missing covered health records through the provider and mark gaps.

An implant card can help organize a discussion, but do not guess a model when it is absent. Keep a later procedure report with the original placement record. Record-access rights have stated exceptions.

Find out where you stand.

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Sources

  1. ABA Model Rule 1.5: feesABA Model Rule 1.5: fees
  2. Southern District of New York: time limitsSouthern District of New York: time limits · court
  3. 45 CFR 164.524: access to health records45 CFR 164.524: access to health records · regulator
  4. Johnson: PRESERVE12-month outcomes, original author abstractJohnson: PRESERVE12-month outcomes, original author abstract · study
  5. FDA: authorization of laser filter-removal deviceFDA: authorization of laser filter-removal device · regulator
  6. FDA: Option ELITE recallZ-0589-2026FDA: Option ELITE recallZ-0589-2026 · regulator
  7. Campbell: Bard amended final remand/transfer orderDoc22042Campbell: Bard amended final remand/transfer orderDoc22042 · court
  8. JPML: Cook filter transfer orderJPML: Cook filter transfer order · court
  9. NHLBI: clot symptoms
  10. NHLBI: clot diagnosis
  11. Johnson et al.: original PRESERVE abstract and metadata

Checked against 11 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated

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People's Justice research team · Updated Oct 4, 2026