A Clearinghouse for Information about Blood Clots (DVT/)PE) and Clotting Disorders (thrombophilia) provided as a public service by the University of North Carolina Blood Research Center

Category: Pulmonary embolism

  • Acute DVT/ PE and Airline Travel

    Stephan Moll, MD writes… Can the patient with acute DVT or PE safely fly, or should he/she wait for a few weeks before embarking on airline travel?  It appears safe to fly early: There is no evidence that flying early after the diagnosis of VTE leads to an increased risk of recurrent VTE or embolization…

  • Thrombophilia – Information Handout for Patients

    Stephan Moll, MD writes… An information article on various aspects of thrombophilia, written for patients and family members, was published today – available here – as a Vascular Disease Patient Information Page in the journal Vascular Medicine.  It addresses (a) in which patient with venous thromboembolism to consider thrombophilia  testing, (b) what tests might be appropriate to do, (c) how the test results…

  • Two Things Physicians Should Avoid

    Stephan Moll, MD writes (Dec 17, 2014)…  The American Society of Hematology (ASH) published last week as part of its Choosing Wisely® campaign two things that physicians dealing with DVT, PE and anticoagulants should avoid [ref 1].

  • Handout for Your Patients in Clinic – Which Anticoagulant to Use for DVT and PE

    Stephan Moll, MD writes…  Patients who are on warfarin for a history of DVT or PE  may inquire whether a switch to one of the  new oral anticoagulants is appropriate.  Similarly, many physicians initiate this discussion with their patients. This is, obviously, a detailed discussion and an individualized decision with a number of factors to be considered.…

  • Pulmonary Hypertension due to PE: New Drug Approved

     Stephan Moll, MD writes… On Oct 8th, 2013 the FDA approved Adempas® (riociguat), a new oral drug to treat pulmonary hypertension.  The drug is a guanylate cyclase stimulator that leads to arteries dilatation. It is intended for: Patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH)

  • International Coagulation Meeting (ISTH 2013): Highlights

    Stephan Moll, MD writes…  A major international coagulation conference, the bi-annual meeting of the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH; http://www.isth.org), took place in Amsterdam, Holland, from June 29th to July 4th, 2013.  The clinically relevant highlights about thrombosis and anticoagulation are summarized below.

  • New Publication: Eliquis (Apixaban) is Effective and Safe in DVT and PE

    Stephan Moll, MD writes…   An important study (AMPLIFY trial) was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine [ref 1]: In a large study of 5395 patients with acute DVT or PE, Eliquis (apixaban) was as effective as warfarin and caused less major bleeding.

  • Top 10 Publications on Thrombosis and Anticoagulation from 2012

    Stephan Moll writes… 2012 has been a year with significant progress in the field of venous thromboembolism and anticoagulation.  The three most noteworthy, clinically relevant developments were probably (a) the publication of the new ACCP (American College of Chest Physician) guidelines on antithrombotic therapy in February 2012; (b)  The FDA-approval of rivaroxaban (Xarelto) in November 2012 for the acute…