Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 16, 2017; 5(4): 148-152
Published online Apr 16, 2017. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v5.i4.148
Incidental echocardiographic finding: Fractured inferior vena cava filter
Bhradeev Sivasambu, Deepa Kabirdas, Assad Movahed
Bhradeev Sivasambu, Vidant Medical Center, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Deepa Kabirdas, Assad Movahed, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Author contributions: All authors made contributions to the conception, drafting and revision of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This case report is exempt from the Institutional Review Board standards at Vidant Medical Center at East Carolina University.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent obtained from the patient involved in this report authorizing use and disclosure of protected health information.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Assad Movahed, MD, FACC, FACP, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, 115 Heart Drive, Greenville, NC 27834, United States. movaheda@ecu.edu
Telephone: +1-252-7444400 Fax: +1-252-7447725
Received: January 25, 2016
Peer-review started: January 25, 2016
First decision: February 29, 2016
Revised: November 11, 2016
Accepted: January 2, 2017
Article in press: January 3, 2017
Published online: April 16, 2017
Abstract

Inferior vena cava filters have gained increasing popularity in recent decades and knowledge on rare complications becomes vital to practicing physicians. A 30-year-old African American male with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, end-stage renal disease, history of deep venous thrombosis and placement of venacaval filter who was seen in the cardiology clinic for cardiac risks stratification prior to renal transplant. Patient denied any cardiac symptoms. A transthoracic echocardiogram was performed and showed two linear echoes bright densities in the right atrium and right ventricle embedded which was later found to be fractured filter struts by computed tomography. We discuss the various outcomes associated with non-retrieval of retrievable inferior vena cava filters.

Keywords: Inferior vena cava filter, Fractured inferior vena cava filter, Cardiac foreign body, Metal in heart, Incidental echocardiographic finding

Core tip: Retrievable vena cava filters as indicated by the name, is temporary and should be retrieved timely. However noncompliance to follow-up and retrieval has been associated with numerous complications which could also be life threatening in extreme cases. We are writing this case with the intent to enlighten physicians on various types of available filters, complications associated with it and the challenges associated with delayed retrieval of filters. This case report also emphasizes the challenges associated with delayed retrieval of the filters and the management of the complications associated with inferior vena cava filters.