Deep Vein Thrombosis Treatments at Pedes Orange County
Unlike other forms of vascular disease where risk factors increase with age or poor physical condition, a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) may occur in people of any age and any level of health, from active athletes to those with limited mobility. If untreated, a DVT may lead to serious conditions such as Pulmonary Embolism, which causes more fatalities than Breast Cancer and AIDS combined.
If you have pain, redness, swelling, warmness, and/or enlarged veins near the surface of the skin, you may be experiencing symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and need to see a doctor as soon as possible. Our physicians provide a wide range of treatment options to address the specific nature of your deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
How Is DVT Treated?
The primary goal for DVT treatment is to stop the blood clot from increasing in size or breaking off and traveling to your lungs. The treatments will also help in preventing the chances of developing other blood clots. The main deep venous thrombosis (DVT) treatment options include:
Medications
Anticoagulant medications or blood thinners are the most common medications for DVT treatment. Unlike their namesake, they actually don’t thin your blood. Anticoagulants can keep a clot from growing or breaking off, and they prevent new clots from forming. Even though these drugs reduce the blood’s ability to clot, but won’t break down existing ones. Some of the more popular anticoagulants are dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or edoxaban. Doctors recommend taking the drugs for six months.
Compression Stockings
Compression stockings are unique socks that exert pressure on your ankle and get looser as they go up to your knee. The socks put pressure on the veins, preventing blood from pooling.
Thrombectomy
Mechanical thrombectomy or thrombectomy is a relatively new technique that helps treat blood clots resulting from Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The procedure involves a local anesthetic to numb the area first, then using a catheter and a clot-removing device to break and remove the blood clots. Doctors are guided by imaging techniques via X-ray technology to pinpoint the location of the blood clot. The catheter is used to break up or remove the blood clot from the fistula or graft using a specialized designed instrument attached to the end of the catheter called an angioplasty balloon. Our doctors will use a device that acts as a vacuum to disrupt the clot and quickly remove the blockage from your vein, immediately restoring flow to your legs. This minimally invasive procedure be done within an hour and does not require you to spend the night in the hospital.
For many patients, a Thrombectomy offers immediate benefits, eliminates the need for a hospital stay, and reduces the pain and swelling. Removing your DVT also provides long-term benefits to your health and dramatically reduces your risk of developing Post-Thrombotic Syndrome. In some cases, the vascular specialist will insert a stent to keep the blood vessel open. When your Vascular Specialist removes your Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from your veins, you are much less at risk for contracting chronic complications that affect your quality of life.
Thrombolytic Therapy/Thrombolysis
If your deep vein thrombosis is not severe, the first line procedures would be anticoagulant or blood thinner combined with compression stockings to encourage the body to naturally remove the Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Prescribing anticoagulants and blood thinners alone prevent the clot from moving to your heart or lungs or growing larger in size but does not guarantee that the clot will disappear or diminish in size over time or that your symptoms will go away. Patients diagnosed with more serious cases of DVT are treated with Thrombolytic Therapy where a thrombolytic agent such as urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator(tPA), and streptokinase to break down the blood clot. Thrombolysis is where our vascular specialists will use a guided catheter to inject the thrombolytic agent mentioned above to the site or close to the area of the clot. The agents are clot-busters that will help break down the blood clot(s) of your dialysis access or blockage site. The catheter is guided by X-ray imaging to the blocked site and delivers the drug to the blood clot. Once the agent is delivered to the area, the agent will be allowed to reside for some time until the blood clot is broken up. This is a simple, minimally invasive procedure similar to mechanical thrombectomy, where it will only take an hour. Our vascular specialists will decide which procedure to use once they receive your diagnostic testing and review your medical history.
IVC Filter Placement and Removal
Blood clots that develop in the veins of the leg or pelvis, a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), occasionally break up travel to the lungs— called a pulmonary embolism. An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a small cone-shaped device implanted in the inferior vena cava just below the kidneys. An IVC filter traps large clot fragments and prevents them from traveling through the vena cava vein to the heart and lungs, where they could cause severe complications or even death. IVC filters are placed in patients who have a history of recurring deep vein thrombosis (DVTs) or who are at high embolism risk as an additional “safety net.”
This measure is most commonly prescribed for patients with a known history of recurrent Deep Vein Thrombosis or considered at high risk of developing the condition. Our physicians use IVC filters in patients who cannot be successfully treated by other methods that might not be considered suitable for one medical reason or another, including blood thinning agents or anticoagulants, thrombectomy, or thrombolysis to remove the presence of the clot. Our physicians use state-of-the-art retrievable filters to give patients the flexibility of leaving the filter in place permanently or removing it from the vena cava after eliminating the risk of embolism.
Deep Vein Thrombosis – Prevention
While deep vein thrombosis can lead to fatal conditions, making lifestyle changes can help in reducing the risk. Following the following prevention measures will reduce the likelihood of the condition significantly.
What to Expect from Your Visit to Pedes
ULTRASOUND
ULTRASOUND
Your treatment will begin with an ultrasound examination of your veins, arteries, or both, in your legs to diagnose the presence and extent of the disease. Your test results will be immediately available to review with the doctor.
CONSULT
CONSULT
Once we review the results of your diagnostic tests, our physicians will help you develop a plan to provide you with the best treatment for your disease.
TREATMENT
TREATMENT
Depending on the extent of disease in your arteries or veins, our specialists may recommend minimally invasive intervention and/or prescribe medications to help your symptoms.
FOLLOW UP
FOLLOW UP
It is important to make sure that you return for every scheduled follow-up appointment to ensure that your disease is appropriately monitored. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please call or schedule a follow-up appointment with our staff.