What is a vena cava stent?

What is going to happen?

If you are taking blood thinners, you may need to stop them before the procedure if possible. Discuss this explicitly with your attending physician.

The procedure starts with 100 mg of Ascal (a blood thinner). You will usually have to continue using this for 3 months afterwards.

The procedure takes place in the radiology department under local anesthesia. You will lie on your back on a table with an X-ray tube, this table is designed for image-guided procedures. The interventional radiologist will temporarily insert a plastic tube (sheath) of a few millimeters into the vein in the groin or neck under image guidance. Through this, the stent will be inserted to the right place. After placement, the stent will open itself. The dilated stent keeps the vein open from the inside.

For this procedure, you will often be admitted to hospital for a short period of time (day admission). After the treatment, 2 hours of flat bed rest is necessary and you cannot perform strenuous physical activity for 3 days. In some cases, you will stay in the hospital for one night for observation.

What are the risks and side effects?

There are some risks, including the chance of minor bleeding or bruising at the puncture site in your neck or groin. More serious, but very rare, risks are bleeding at the site of the narrowing or that the stent moves through the body.