Pulmonary embolus after retrieval of a temporary inferior vena caval filter in a Jehovah's Witness undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

We present the case of pulmonary embolus after retrieval of a temporary inferior vena caval (IVC) filter in a Jehovah's Witness patient who underwent uneventful laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. The 40-year-old female was admitted to the hospital 2 days after retrieval of the filter with bilateral pulmonary emboli for which she received anticoagulation therapy and consequently developed thoracic bleeding. We present this complicated case to highlight the risk of pulmonary emboli after IVC filter removal without anticoagulation, and to demonstrate the additional risk in managing a Jehovah's Witness patient.