title: Comparative evaluation of clinically available inferior vena cava filters with an in vitro physiologic simulation of the vena cava.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A physiologic in vitro model of the human inferior vena cava (IVC) was developed to evaluate the clot-trapping efficiency of various IVC filters.
  
  
  METHODS
  The flow model closely simulates the physical parameters of the human IVC in fluid viscosity, specific gravity, temperature, and pulsatility; blood flow velocity, volume, and inherent turbulence; and vein orientation, wall compliance, and clot composition. Five filters--Greenfield (G), Bird's Nest (BN), Vena Tech (VT), Simon nitinol (SN), and titanium Greenfield (TG)--were compared by using two vena cava and blood clot sizes and horizontal and vertical orientation of the model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each filter varied significantly in its clot-capturing efficiency, depending on vena cava size and orientation and emboli size. Overall, decreasing rank order in filter clot-trapping efficiency was SN, BN, VT, TG, and G.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The in vitro model of the human IVC is an alternative to multicenter clinical trials in evaluating the relative clot-trapping efficiency of various IVC filters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Harvard Thorndike Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Rabkin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kleshinski
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ransil
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D008961:Models, Structural; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D016306:Vena Cava Filters; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior