David Gillespie (Boston, USA) talks to Vascular Specialist about the PRESERVE study—established by the Society for Vascular Surgery and Society of Interventional Radiology—which is the largest prospective study to investigate real-world outcomes with contemporary use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in patients who are at risk for venous thromboembolism.
A total of 1,421 patients were enrolled at 54 sites across the U.S. and had IVC filters from seven different manufacturers placed. “It was a monumental task to enroll patients and get them to complete” states Gillespie, who goes on to outline some of the key challenges the study faced, including the changing regulatory landscape, COVID-19 and a large patient drop-out rate.
Despite these hurdles, PRESERVE has essentially shown in a non-randomized study that IVC filters “are safe and effective for therapeutic use” as well as in prophylactic use “with continued monitoring and early removal”.
