Cincinnati Children's First in the Country to Extract New Removable Filter from a Child
New Outpatient Procedure Prevents Blood Clots from Traveling to Lungs Without Long-Term Risks
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has become the first pediatric medical center in the country to retrieve a new removable vena cava filter from a child.
A vena cava filter protects from pulmonary emboli -- blockages of the blood vessels of the lungs (usually from clots that have broken off from clots in the legs) which causes as many as 150,000 deaths each year in the United States.
At Cincinnati Children's, interventional radiologists can insert vena cava filters as a preventative measure for a number of pediatric patients with various types of diseases, especially forms of cancer or those undergoing surgery, including orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures. Those patients are at risk for developing deep venous thrombosis (blood clots in the legs) and subsequent pulmonary embolism.
While traditional filters have long been shown to protect patients from life-threatening pulmonary embolism in the short term, the long-term risks of having a permanent foreign device in the body include recurrent deep vein thrombosis (clots in the legs and pelvis), inferior vena cava thrombosis (clot in the main vein carrying blood from the legs back to the heart) and inferior vena cava perforation. The new removable filter allows physicians more flexibility in protecting patients against life-threatening risks.
"This filter is an important technological advancement for pediatric patients," says John Racadio, MD, director of Interventional Radiology and the first to perform the procedure. "Because past filters have been permanent devices, we have been reluctant to perform this procedure in growing children. But now we can place this retrievable filter to protect against the short-term risk of pulmonary embolism and remove it at a later date to avoid the long-term risks that permanent filters carry."
The filter is implanted through a small needle stick usually inserted in a vein in the groin. Using X-ray imaging techniques, an interventional radiologist places the filter in the inferior vena cava (the large vein that runs from the legs and abdomen to the heart) at a point that prevents clots from traveling from the legs to the heart and lungs.
Removal is performed on an outpatient basis by the interventional radiologist using angiography and X-rays to visualize the filter and grab it with a unique conical retrieval device. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and patients experience a quick and easy recovery.
Up until recently, the removable filters were not available in the United States. C. R. Bard, Inc.'s (NYSE-BCR) wholly owned subsidiary Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., made it possible through a product called Recovery™ vena cava filter. It received FDA concurrence as a permanently placed device in November 2002, but only recently was cleared to allow for removal.
According to a spokesperson at Bard Peripheral Vascular, Dr. Racadio now has the ability to train other pediatric hospital's around the country how to retrieve the filter.
C. R. Bard, Inc. (www.crbard.com), headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey, is a leading multinational developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative, life-enhancing medical technologies in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology and surgical specialty products.
Contact Information
Amy Caruso, 513-636-5367, amy.caruso@cchmc.org
