An inferior vein filter may be a sort of vascular filter, a medical device that's implanted by vascular surgeons or interventional radiologists into the inferior vein to stop life-threatening pulmonary emboli (PEs). Their effectiveness and safety profile is well established. In cases where patients are at high risk of developing a clinically significant PE and can't be sufficiently anticoagulated, placement of an IVC filter could also be recommended.

To date, there has been just one randomized controlled trial completed on IVC filters. This study found that IVC filters reduced the incidence of PE but increased the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). All patients were on anticoagulation drugs during the study. Results from the PREPIC study and other studies that have shown many long-term complications of IVC filters led to the introduction of retrievable IVC filters. The first retrievable IVC filters were approved by the FDA in 2003 and 2004.