vena caval filter


filter

 [fil´ter] 1. a device for eliminating or separating certain elements, as (a) particles of certain size from a solution, or (b) rays of certain wavelength from a stream of radiant energy.2. to cause such separation or elimination.membrane filter a filter made up of a thin film of collodion, cellulose acetate, or other material, available in a wide range of defined pore sizes, the smaller ones being capable of retaining all the known viruses.Millipore filter trademark for a device used to filter nutrient solutions as they are administered intravenously.vena cava filter (vena caval filter) a filter used in the inferior vena cava to prevent embolism" >pulmonary embolism.Wood's filter a nickel-oxide filter that holds back all but a few violet rays and passes ultraviolet rays of about 365 nm; see also light" >Wood's light.

vena caval filter

A wire mesh filtering device that is inserted into the lower of the two major veins of the body (the inferior vena cava) to prevent the passage of dangerous blood clots from the leg veins and elsewhere to the lungs, via the heart (pulmonary embolism). If large, such emboli are very dangerous and are a common cause of death. Vena caval filters can be inserted by way of a vein in the groin.