Navigating inferior vena cava filters in invasive cardiology procedures: A systematic review

Transfemoral venous access (TFV) is the cornerstone of minimally invasive cardiac procedures. Although the presence of inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) was considered a relative contraindication to TFV procedures, small experiences have suggested safety. We conducted a systematic review of the available literature on cardiac procedural success of TFV with IVCF in-situ.

Two independent reviewers searched PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar from inception to October 2020 for studies that reported outcomes in patients with IVCFs undergoing TFV for invasive cardiac procedures. We investigated a primary outcome of acute procedural success and reviewed the pooled data for patient demographics, procedural complications, types of IVCF, IVCF dwell time, and procedural specifics.

Out of the 120 studies initially screened, 8 studies were used in the final analysis with a total of 100 patients who underwent 110 procedures. The most common IVCF was the Greenfield Filter (36%), 60% of patients were males and the mean age was 67.8 years. The overall pooled incidence of acute procedural success was 95.45% (95% confidence interval = 89.54-98.1) with no heterogeneity (I²  = 0%, p = 1) and there were no reported filter-related complications.

This systematic review is the largest study of its kind to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of TFV access in a variety of cardiac procedures in the presence of IVCF.