Improvements in Blood Filter Technology

A biomedical engineering company, Crux Biomedical Inc., was awarded a patent for their version of a vena cava blood filter that helps in preventing fatal pulmonary embolism. PE is estimated to cause 200,000-300,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. Hopefully this device will greatly reduce that number once it has finished going through the required clinical testing and is out on the market.

Vena cava filters have been around for about forty years. Since the 1960's, they have been important in preventing PE by trapping blood clots that can lead to the deadly condition. The older versions used to be only permanent implants, but in the last ten years or so, there have been many improvements on their design. Now, physicians can decide whether they want to have a permanent device or one that can be removed once the patient is no longer in danger. However, the problem with these devices is that their design makes it difficult to remove them because they adhere to the vessel wall or tilt in different positions.

The new blood filter reduces these problems by centering itself in the blood vessel. It also can be removed through either the jugular or femoral vein. This bi-directional removability gives doctors more flexibility in how they can deal with the device.

The blood filter will definitely help lower the dangers of PE, but more importantly, this article shows the significance of changes in biomedical technology. The field continually puts out new products that are improvements on older devices. This ensures that the future of healthcare will only improve as these companies come up with better, safer, and faster ways to treat medical problems.

Sandhya Ramesh
VTPP 434-501

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