There are currently more than 200,000 bariatric surgeries being performed in the United States each year according to estimates from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Blood clotting is of particular concern during and after these procedures given that obesity and post-surgical immobility are risk factors for developing blood clots, including venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is a blood clot that starts in a vein—often in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm. This type of VTE is known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. A venous clot can break off and travel to the lungs, causing a life-threatening condition called pulmonary embolism (PE). Inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) are sometimes implanted prophylactically prior to bariatric surgery in an attempt to reduce post-surgical PE rates. IVCFs are small-basket-like devices made of wire that are inserted into the inferior vena cava, a large vein that returns blood from the lower body to the heart and lungs, to catch the blood clots before they reach the lungs.
* This article was originally published here
