Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery
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Surg Obes Relat Dis · Jul 2007
Inferior vena cava filter placement for pulmonary embolism risk reduction in super morbidly obese undergoing bariatric surgery.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of mortality after bariatric surgery. We evaluated inferior vena cava (IVC) filter use for PE risk reduction in high-risk super morbidly obese bariatric surgery patients. ⋯ IVC filter placement for PE risk reduction is safe and feasible in the super morbidly obese. Our data have shown that the filters can be placed expeditiously and with minimal morbidity concomitant with bariatric surgery. In this limited series, IVC filter placement was associated with no PE. Additional studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of IVC filter placement for PE risk reduction and related mortality in the super morbidly obese.