Why dont doctors use a Greenfield filter as opposed to coumadin?
Greenfield filters are used on occasion when the indication is correct. Clots form on the filter and above it, so you still have to take anticoagulation medication. (For those who don’t know, a Greenfield filter is a sort of mesh that is placed in the big vein leading from the legs to prevent blood clots in the legs or pelvis from traveling to the lungs. It is sometimes used for a short period of time after surgery and then removed when the risk of clotting is over. For someone with APS, the risk of clotting is never over. A Greenfield filter is usually used when the clots in the lower extremities are very big and very threatening and/or have already traveled to the lungs.
