Clot-busting Drug Safe and Effective Against Deep Vein Thrombosis
Published in the journal Radiology, the study showed that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) could be effectively treated by injecting or ?lacing? the clot with
a fibre-binding thrombolytic agent. The therapy was also found to reduce the risk of subsequent recurrence or bleeding.
?This treatment regimen is able to clear blood clots rapidly and safely, restoring blood flow in the veins of the lower leg, and the results are durable,? said lead author Dr. Richard Chang, chief of the interventional radiology section of the Department of Radiology, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda.
DVT is a common and serious health problem in which a blood clot, or thrombus, form in the deep veins, particularly in the lower leg or thigh. Complications occur when the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, resulting in a potentially fatal condition called pulmonary embolism.
Most patients with the condition are treated solely with anticoagulation therapy (blood thinners) and compression stockings. However, one-third of such patients suffer from post-thrombotic syndrome?characterised by pain, swelling, or in severe cases by changes in skin colour or skin ulceration?while another third are likely to have another clot or pulmonary embolism within five years of their initial DVT.
Though thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) therapy can potentially prevent such occurrences, it poses a bleeding risk.
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