Complex Hybrid Suprarenal Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval

The exponential rise in inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement is associated with increased complications both during implantation and retrieval. In this report, a 64-year-old man was transferred from an outside hospital with cardiac tamponade secondary to a snare eroding into the right atrium. This complication occurred after attempted suprarenal IVC filter removal. The filter, entangled with the snare, was retrieved by a hybrid technique of mobilizing the liver to expose the suprarenal IVC, followed by using a snare and sheath to compress and extrude the filter. This is the first reported hybrid retrieval of a suprarenal IVC filter.