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

  • Recovery After a DVT or PE

    Stephan Moll, MD writes…  A discussion for patients of questions commonly asked after a DVT are discussed here, in Clot Connect’s patient blog, such as: How quickly can I expect improvement? How active can I be after a DVT or PE? When can I go back to doing sports? When is it safe to fly again…

  • New ACCP Guidelines – DVT and PE: Highlights and Summary

    Stephan Moll, MD writes…  This month the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) published its new (2012) guidelines regarding anticoagulation and management of various thrombotic disorders, replacing the 2008 edition. The details of the new guidelines can be found here

  • Pulmonary Hypertension after PE – CTEPH

    Pulmonary hypertension affects up to 4 % of PE patient and typically occurs within the first 2 years after a PE.  It is defined as a mean pulmonary artery pressure of ≥ 25 mm Hg by right heart catheterization, with normal pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance.  Pulmonary hypertension occurring after an…

  • Chronic Lung Damage after PE – Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH)

    Blood clots in the lung (pulmonary embolism, PE) often completely dissolve within a few weeks or months and a patient’s symptoms of shortness and breath and chest pain disappear.  Many people return to their normal self and have no physical limitations thereafter. Other people have some residual symptoms of shortness of breath or chest discomfort,…

  • Incidentally Discovered DVT, PE or Other Clots

    General comments CT or MRI scans will occasionally detect an incidental iliofemoral DVT, PE or intra-abdominal thrombosis (IVC, portal, splenic, mesenteric or renal vein). This is particularly common in cancer patients undergoing staging CT scans. When such an incidental, asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) is discovered, the question arises whether the patient should be treated with…

  • Incidentally Discovered Blood Clots

    General comments CT scans and MRI scans are often done in medicine, for a variety of reasons.  Every so often such a scan will detect a blood clot in a patient who has no symptoms from the clot. This is referred to as an “incidental VTE”  (VTE = venous thromboembolism, i.e. clot in a vein)…

  • DVT and PE: How Long to Treat With Anticoagulants?

    Explanation for Patients The complex topic of “Length of Anticoagulant Treatment” for patients with VTE  is being addressed in a blog entry written for patients, found on the Clot Connect patient education blog (here). For the Health Care Professional Well respected treatment guidelines exist [ref 1,2].

  • DVT and PE: How Long to Treat with “Blood Thinners”

    What Kind of Clot did You Have? If you have had a blood clot in your legs or your lung (pulmonary embolism=PE), you will wonder how long you should stay on a “blood thinner”. The decision depends on a number of factors which will be discussed below.