Which of the following is an indication for an IVC filter?

• A. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• B. Hypertension
• C. Hyperlipidemia
• D. Atrial fibrillation

Answer: (A)

An IVC filter is placed to prevent pulmonary embolism by catching clots that travel from the veins of the legs to the lungs. This makes deep vein thrombosis the relevant indication because a DVT is a direct source of emboli that the filter is designed to intercept, especially when anticoagulation is contraindicated or insufficient. The other conditions—hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and atrial fibrillation—do not involve venous clots traveling to the lungs in a way that an IVC filter would prevent: hypertension and hyperlipidemia are risk factors for vascular disease, not direct embolic sources needing a filter, and atrial fibrillation increases risk of arterial (not venous) emboli, which is managed with anticoagulation or other stroke-prevention strategies rather than an IVC filter.