Blood Clot and Deep Vein Thrombosis Facts

Blood Clots Overview

Occurring most often in the legs, blood clots are often associated with long car trips, plane trips or periods of extended immobility. Sudden death may occur if a clot travels to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) or to other vital organs such as the heart.

Treatment options for blood clots include anticoagulant (blood thinner) medications such as coumadin, warfarin, lovenox, heparin and others.

Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT Overview

Blood clots that occur in the legs or other areas are also called venous thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Each year, nearly two million people in the U.S. are reported to develop DVT. For almost 60,000 of these patients, DVT proves to be fatal when the blood clots break off, enter the blood stream and block flow to the lungs, heart or brain. These blockages may become pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks or strokes.

Use of hormonal contraceptives such as birth control pills and Ortho Evra birth control patches have been linked to DVT and the ensuing problems associated with them. The extremely high estrogen exposure that Ortho Evra brings to women using the patches may put them at an even higher risk than was originally communicated.

Other risk factors for DVT include long air travel, pregnancy, obesity and genetic tendencies.

Treatment for DVT

While DVT is often associated with blood clots in the legs among the elderly, it has more recently become common among young women using hormonal birth control, which exposes them to increased amounts of estrogen.

Catheter-directed intrathrombus thrombolysis (CDT) was recently developed as a treatment option for DVT, published in the April Journal of Vascular & Interventional Radiology. An infusion catheter or wire directly delivers a pharmacologic thrombolytic agent into the thrombosed vein. This CDT therapy used in conjuction with anticoagulant (blood thinning) therapy is the newest accepted initial treatment for patients with acute iliofemoral DVT.

Symptoms of DVT

Blood clot or DVT symptoms may include warmth, swelling or pain in the legs, abdominal pain, high fever, and more. Many victims of blood clots, however, do not experience any warning signs until a pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke occurs.

If a clot embolizes (breaks off) and travels to the lungs, this is called a pulmonary embolism. Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism may include chest pain, shortness of breath, and increased heart or breathing rate.