Greenfield Filter

[idog]

I had a Greenfield Filter implanted when I was 26 years old as a precautionary measure. I am now 42. The problem with my blood no longer exisits, but the filter can never be removed. The filter was placed in my inferior vena cava. My doctor has signed off on it, but it still makes me nervous to dive with it. Only plan on shallow water dives- nothing deeper than 80 feet. Is there need for concern?

 

[dewayne405]

Contact DAN, they'll provide you with more indepth information regarding diving with your Greenfield Filter and subsequent risks involved.

 

[TSandM]

The intersection of the group of people with Greenfield filters, and the group of people who dive, is so small that I would seriously doubt that there is any literature to use to answer your question. But if you have tolerated the device for twenty years, I cannot think of anything about diving that is either likely to provoke another clot or to cause complications with the device.

 

[gkwalt]

I agree with TS&M. I have a lot of experience with IVC filters. Greenfield filters were an older generation of filters that were associated with slightly more long term complications, ie., clotting of the IVC and migration of the filter. But if you had the filter for as long as you said, I would think those issues are moot. My question would be the initial indication for the filter. There are numerous hematologic problems that would lend to placement of a filter and clotting abnormalities. If the original indication was some long term increased risk to form blood clots, DAN would be the best source to obtain the latest info. But, other than that, as long as there have been no long term complications of the filter, I should think there would be no problem. That's just my opinion.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

I, too, agree that there is no problem diving with an IVC filter. It has been in place for many years and there is no reason to think that any of the pressure changes or other physics in diving would result in any problems. The main issue, as with any procedure, is the reason it was placed. That is somewhat unclear from your post, but it doesn't sound like you have a chronic "clotting" problem like Protein C or S deficiency or Factor V Leiden which would involve lifelong anticoaguation with warfarin. Often, a young person has a filter placed as a precaution when they are at risk of blood clots but are not good candidates for blood thinners -- motor vehicle accidents and some cancers come to mind. Currently we use retreivable filters in those cases but that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

Regardless, while DAN is always a good resource, like Lynn (TSandM) above mentioned, the number of divers who had "precautionary" IVC filters placed remotely is going to be an astronomically small number so I doubt they will have much "hard" data for you.

Best of luck and welcome to our wonderful sport!

Doug