How Do You Treat Deep Venous Thrombosis?
The main objective of treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is to prevent clotting in lungs or pulmonary embolism (PE). Other goals include preventing the clot from becoming larger and preventing new blood clot formation. Here is how to keep DVT from leading to more serious problems. Take Anticoagulants or “blood thinners”. Patients are usually treated first with an injectable anticoagulant such as heparin or lovenox. After this an oral blood thinner called warfarin is given for a minimum of three months. Use intravenous medicines to dissolve the blood clots in patients who have serious complications, or in patients with large blood clots in the leg. This is called thrombolytic therapy. Place an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in patients with venous thromboembolism who cannot use anticoagulants because of recent surgery, hemorrhagic stroke or bleeding. An IVC filter traps the circulating blood clots in the veins of abdomen and lower limbs. It is placed surgically in the inferior v
