Short- and Long-term Retrievability of the Celect Vena Cava Filter: Results from a Multi-institutional Registry

Received 24 November 2008; received in revised form 21 July 2009; accepted 27 July 2009.

Purpose

To evaluate retrievability of the Celect vena cava filter over time and to assess the safety of the retrieval procedure in a prospective multicenter registry.

Materials and Methods

Between October 2005 and March 2008, Celect filters were placed in 95 patients (61 men; mean age, 51 years ± 18.5) with a temporary need for an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. All patients satisfied requirements for filter placement; the primary indications for placement were pulmonary embolism (PE) with a contraindication to or failure of anticoagulation (n = 40), high risk for further PE (n = 29), trauma (n = 23), or massive PE with residual deep vein thrombosis and risk for further PE (n = 3). Filter orientation, vena cava injury, and other device-related incidents were evaluated at implantation and retrieval. The degree of difficulty associated with retrieval was also assessed.

Results

Filter retrieval was attempted in 58 patients (mean indwell time of 179 days; median, 168.5 d; range, 5–466 d). Fifty-six filters (96.6%) were successfully retrieved. Unsuccessful retrieval attempts were attributed to filter tilt (n = 1) or excessive tissue growth with the hook embedded in the endothelium (n = 1). No adverse events were associated with the inability to retrieve these filters. A Kaplan-Meier product-limit survival estimate revealed that the probability of successful filter retrieval remained at 100% at 50 weeks and at more than 74% at 55 weeks after implantation. No adverse events were related to the retrieval procedures.

Conclusions

Retrieval of the Celect filter was performed safely as long as 466 days after implantation.

Abbreviations: CEC, clinical events committee, IVC, inferior vena cava, PE, pulmonary embolism

a Department of Radiology, Monash University, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

b Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitario Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey

c Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Mexico City, Mexico

d Department of Radiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

e Radiology Department, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Leeds

f Department of Interventional Radiology, North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke, United Kingdom

g Interventional Radiology Department, Hospital Clinico Universitario Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

h Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Universitaetsklinikum der RWTH-Aachen, Aachen, Germany

i MED Institute, 1 Geddes Way, West Lafayette, IN 47906

Address correspondence to J.A.M.B.

This study was sponsored by Cook (Bloomington, Indiana). W.D.V. and J.A.M.B. are employees of Cook MED Institute. R.W.G. has a royalty agreement with Cook. None of the other authors have identified a conflict of interest.

PII: S1051-0443(09)00816-1

doi:10.1016/j.jvir.2009.07.038

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