IVC Filter Use Falls As Lawsuits Increase
A recent study found a direct connection between legal activity and less-frequent use of dangerous IVC filters.
The most significant decline occurred in heavy litigation areas, according to Dr. Ketan Patel of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Between 1993 and 2010, IVC filter implants increased almost 10 percent a year; after 2010, when the Food and Drug Administration issued a stern warning and lawsuits began to pile up, IVC filter use fell by more than 7 percent annually.