Embolization of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Tyne and Right Ventricular Perforation: A Cardiac Missile

Abstract

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a medical device placed in patients with proven pulmonary embolism or those with risk of embolization. Although many IVC filters are designed for removal after patient recovery, in many instances they are never retrieved. We present a case of a 22-year-old woman who underwent placement of an IVC filter as a prophylactic measure following a C-6 spinal injury that rendered her a quadriplegic. A tyne from the filter later fractured and embolized to the right ventricle, leading to perforation and subsequent large symptomatic pericardial effusion. The tyne was retrieved through a subxiphoid pericardial window, and the patient had an uneventful recovery. She later underwent retrieval of the entire filter.