Fractured inferior vena cava filter strut presenting as a penetrating foreign body in the right ventricle: report of a case

Abstract

Migration of a fractured strut of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter to the heart is a rare complication. We report the case of a 40-year-old woman who had this complication eight months after infrarenal IVC filter placement. She presented with chest pain. The broken arm of the IVC filter had migrated to the heart and penetrated the free wall of the right ventricle. It was removed successfully by cardiac surgery without the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass.