Earlier today a press release revealed that Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has been admitted to the New York Presbyterian Hospital with a ‘blood clot’ and treatment has been started with an ‘anticoagulant’. The following is an analysis of Ms. Clinton’s clot and the possibilities of her treatment. This article will constantly update as details…
Surgery is a risk factor for clotting. Hip and knee surgery significantly increase the risk of blood clots. Clots can end up in the legs or in the lungs. This is why preventing clots after knee procedures is important. On the other hand, not all procedures are the same. For example, clots after knee surgery…
A pulmonary embolism response team (PERT) brings together the various doctors who treat pulmonary embolism. There are various models for pulmonary embolism response teams. These teams have been around since 2012. Nevertheless, available data fail to show meaningful impact on hard outcomes. Having said that, PERT probably have pros and cons. Indeed, they drum up…
Renal vein thrombosis is a relatively rare entity. It is most commonly described in the context of nephrotic syndrome and renal cell carcinoma. There is very little literature about to guide us, thus the treatment of this condition is not very well established. Presentation Many patients are asymptomatic at first. But flank pain and hematuria…
Saphenous vein thrombosis is easily diagnosed but poses a therapeutic dilemma for clinicians. For some patients watchful waiting, warm compresses and NSAIDs are enough. But consider anticoagulation in highly symptomatic patients, when clot is extensive and when clot is near the deep system. Is Saphenous Vein Thrombosis Superficial or Deep? The venous system can be…
Inferior vena cava filters are being inserted very commonly. Acceptable indications for IVC filters are venous thromboembolism without possibility for anticoagulation. However, retained IVC filters tend to cause complications. Examples of IVC filter related complications include filter thrombosis, migration and perforation, among others. Of course, IVC filter retrieval is not always necessary. But still, IVC…
Warfarin failure means a clot happens despite taking warfarin. We use the same term both for atrial fibrillation and venous thrombosis. Common causes for warfarin failure include difficult to manage INR, cancer and antiphospholipid antibodies. But sometimes it seems like the medication “failed” when really the problem was poor compliance. While we use Warfarin extensively,…
The following clinical scenario should sound familiar to many of you. A patient of yours that has had a deep vein thrombosis in the distant past comes to your local emergency department with a feeling of “swelling” behind their knee. He has not been taking anticoagulation for quite a time now. The swelling is on…
Sometimes a simple open and shut case of a provoked deep vein thrombosis is just not as simple as it sounds. Especially if there are several confounding factors to recon with like thrombocytosis. A patient with a provoked deep vein thrombosis A 46 year old woman sidewinded by a truck while making a left turn…
Calf pain is a common complaint in vascular medicine clinics. A clot in the deep veins of the legs is just one of them. This is called deep vein thrombosis. Because it is a serious diagnosis with potential serious long-term effects, deep vein thrombosis must be considered in any patient with new onset calf pain….
