Preliminary Results of the New 6F TrapEase Inferior Vena Cava Filter

The TrapEase filter is a permanent, symmetric nitinol filter that can be deployed through a low-profile sheath. Although the TrapEase is enjoying an increasing market share of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, there are still limited clinical follow-up data on its use. This study is a retrospective review of 189 consecutive infrarenal TrapEase filters placed at our institution. The study included 80 men and 109 women, with an average age of 73 years (24-102). The most common indication for filter placement was a contraindication to warfarin. In total, 13% of the patients were treated with warfarin. The filter was successfully deployed in all cases, via the right femoral vein in 57% of the patients, via the left femoral vein in 32%, and via the right internal jugular vein in 11%. Follow-up studies were performed as clinically indicated. During the investigation, there were three cases of IVC thrombosis (1.5%) and one case of retroperitoneal hemorrhage potentially caused by filter placement. Two of the thrombosis cases resulted in serious sequelae. This study also represents the first report of a symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) after TrapEase filter placement. While this investigation does demonstrate a low overall complication rate of this new device, it raises the concern of an increase in IVC thrombosis rate.