What is an IVC Blood Clot Filter?An inferior vena cava filter, better known as an IVC Filter, is a device used to prevent blood clots from traveling from the lower body to the heart and lungs. IVC Filters are placed in the largest vein in the body, the inferior vena cava, which returns low-oxygen blood back to the lungs to be enriched with oxygen. An IVC Filter is used prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs by capturing them and allowing the body time to break them up. When blood clots are carried to the lungs it can cause a pulmonary embolism. If a large clot, or multiple clots reach the lungs, it can cause death.IVC Blood Clot Filters versus StentsPeople often confuse IVC Blood Clot Filters with Stents. While both medical devices are associated with blood flow, they are very different in design and purpose. A stent is a tube made of wire mesh that is implanted in a blood vessel to hold it open to increase blood flow. Stents are often used in coronary arteries that have low blood flow due to fat deposits called plaque. In contrast, an IVC filter isn’t in placed in a coronary artery, instead it is in implanted in the inferior vena cava. IVC filters do not prop open blood vessels, but work by filtering clots out of the blood.