Blood thinners have been a standard treatment for blood clots in the legs since the 1960's. But a big new governemnt study shows so far, newer clot-busting therapies may be added to the standard of care.
Melissa Fuoss relishes time with her husband and son Alex, especially after a blood clot in her leg threatened her life during pregnancy, "I remember the OB-GYN saying to me, you know, we're gonna' probably have to induce your pregnancy because this clot could move and kill you." "When a clot forms in the deep veins, it can break off and move to the lungs and that can be a fatal condition," says Dr. Suresh Vedantham.
Blood thinners are standard therapy for deep vein thrombosis. The drugs work well to keep the clot from moving. The problem is - they don't dissolve it. "As a result, that clot continues to completely or partly block blood flow in the vein," says Dr. Vedantham.
It can cause permanent damage to the vein and chronic leg problems. So a major government-funded study is looking for solutions. "There are now new clot-busting treatments that actually eliminate the clot near the time that it's formed," according to Dr. Vedantham.
The technology combines catheter-based clot removal devices and clot-dissolving drugs. It's a double whammy that, if proven effective says Dr. Vedantham, could forever change the way doctors treat blood clots, "Away from just saying, well let's prevent the next episode, to saying let's get that clot out of there right away and preserve the patient's leg function in the long run."
Melissa's deadly clot extended from her belly button to her knee. But a clot-busting procedure helped put the new mom back on her feet. "Pre all of this I was running half marathons and I just started running again, so, I'd say it worked out," says Melissa.
For more information, check out www.clinicaltrials.gov and put in NCT00790335
