An absorbable vascular filter is disclosed for deployment within a vessel for temporary filtering of body fluids. A preferred embodiment is the placement of such absorbable vascular filter within the inferior vena cava (IVC) to filter emboli for the prevention of pulmonary embolism for a limited duration in time. Once protection from PE is complete, the filter is sequentially biodegraded according to a planned schedule determined by the absorption properties of the filter components. Hence the temporary absorbable vascular filter obviates the long term complications of permanent IVC filters such as increased deep vein thrombosis, while also circumventing the removal requirement of metal retrievable IVC filters.
