vena cava filter

So, a question came up recently in causal chit chat about vena cava filters. Here's my understanding of the filter and clotting. This by no means is any kind of certified information, solely my understanding from what I have read, so please don't take this as any kind of medical advice because it's not!

a (heparin coated metal) filter put into the vena cava (which is a large vein that returns blood to the heart from the body) to "catch" clots so as to prevent a pulmonary embolism which occurs when a clot travels to the lungs through the circulatory system and cuts off blood supply to a part of the lungs. You may wonder well what happens when the filter catches all these clots? Does it get all clogged up? The body naturally absorbs clots. Well then if the body naturally absorbs clots, why do we worry about clots? We worry about clots getting lodged somewhere and reducing blood flow or cutting off blood supply to an organ. There is platelet aggregation & the clotting cascade, which is quite complex, but basically involves factors --> factors & prothrombin --> thrombin --> fibrinogen --> fibrin --> clot. Clot formation is limited to the need for a clot. When it is time for dissolution of the clot, "fibrinolysis:" plasminogen + factors --> plasmin --> breaks up the fibrin meshwork leaving what are termed fibrin degradation products. Then other enzymes in the body work to dissolve these leftover products. Prostacyclin is also produced, which does not allow platelet aggregation to occur.

On the natural health front, nattokinase (found in natto (Japanese), fermented soybeans) is thought to be a natural enzyme that can be taken to reduce blood clotting...some claim that it dissolves clots...