Thrombosis is the partial or complete blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot, also known as a thrombus. It can appear in all blood vessels; it generally forms in veins, particularly in the deep leg and pelvic veins. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a disease that includes deep vein and pelvic thrombosis (DVT) and its most dangerous complication, pulmonary embolism (PE).
Venous thrombosis is generally diagnosed by an ultrasound examination of the veins (sonography). Pulmonary embolism (PE) is generally verified using computed tomography or scintigraphy of the upper body. In addition to these imaging procedures, blood examinations are also carried out to confirm the diagnosis.
An embolism can occur if some of the blood clot breaks off and is swept into an organ by the circulating blood. This blocks the supply of blood and therefore oxygen to the organ, leading to death of the tissue. In case of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot reaches the lungs and blocks one or more branches of the pulmonary arteries. This occurs relatively frequently as venous blood is transported back to the heart from the legs and is then pumped directly to the lungs for oxygen uptake. If there is resistance to the flow of blood through the lungs, the body can no longer be supplied with sufficient oxygen. This accumulation of blood places severe pressure on the heart, leading to cardiac failure.
Emergency treatment of pulmonary embolism in hospital involves either medication to dissolve the blood clot, mechanical means, such as breaking it up using a catheter, or removing it by surgery according to the state of the patient.
Thrombosis refers to the partial or complete blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot, also known as a thrombus. It can appear in all blood vessels; generally it forms in veins, particularly in the deep leg and pelvic veins. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a disease that includes deep vein and pelvic thrombosis (DVT) and its most dangerous complication, pulmonary embolism (PE).
A venous thrombosis is generally diagnosed by an ultrasound examination of the veins (sonography). Pulmonary embolism (PE) is generally verified using computed tomography or scintigraphy of the upper body. In addition to these imaging procedures, blood examinations are also carried out to confirm the diagnosis.
An embolism can occur if some of the blood clot breaks off and is swept into an organ by the circulating blood. This blocks the supply of blood and therefore oxygen to the organ, leading to death of the tissue. In case of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot reaches the lung and blocks one or more branches of the pulmonary arteries. This occurs relatively frequently as venous blood is transported back to the heart from the legs and is then pumped directly to the lungs for oxygen uptake. If there is resistance to the flow of blood through the lungs, the body can no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen. The accumulation of blood places severe pressure on the heart leading to cardiac failure.
Emergency treatment of pulmonary embolism in hospital involves either medication to dissolve the blood clot, mechanical means, such as breaking it up using a catheter, or removing it by surgery according to the state of the patient.
Some patients are wary of using anticoagulants. They are worried that by hindering the blood clotting mechanism they are at increased risk in case of an injury or emergency operation and that the risk of internal bleeding is higher. They are also worried about interactions with other medication and foods that could also increase the risk of bleeding.
It is true that the dosage has to be correctly managed for the medicine to be effective without allowing the risk of bleeding to become unacceptably high. In the case of medicines such as Marcumar® or Falithrom®, the correct dosage has to be monitored continuously by laboratory tests at short intervals. Novel non-vitamin K dependent oral anticoagulants (NOACs) inhibit coagulation by using individually tailored fixed doses, without the need for relevant dietary interaction or elaborate laboratory monitoring. As a result, tolerance to treatment has improved and treatment has also become more user friendly. NOACs have consequently replaced Marcumar® as the means of choice (see ESC Guidelines 2016).
Patients should discuss the differences between the various anticoagulants with their doctors so that they receive the treatment that is best suited for them. In the case of injuries, there are methods and means available that can also treat severe bleeding.
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CVBE19NP00026 January 2019
You may contact our EU Data Protection Officer at EUDPO@BMS.com to exercise any data privacy rights that you may have, as well as to raise any concerns or questions in relation to the handling of your personal data by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
CVBE19NP00026 January 2019