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

Tag: Blood thinners

  • Being on Blood Thinners: How Do I Know I am Bleeding?

    Emily Hawes, UNC School of Pharmacy, writes…  Patients on blood thinners are at increased risk for bleeding.  This can be easy to recognize external bleeding (bruising, bleeding from a cut, nosebleeds, etc.) or more occult internal bleeding.  Patients need to know how to recognize abnormal bleeding.  If any of the below signs of abnormal bleeding occur patients need…

  • Injection of Blood Thinners under the Skin: Making it Easier – Insuflon Ports

    Having to take shots of a blood thinner injected under the skin (subcutaneously = s.c.) once or twice daily for prolonged periods of time can be bothersome and uncomfortable. Use of a once weekly exchanged s.c. port, called Insuflon, can make it easier for a number of patients.

  • Pregnancy Loss and Clotting Disorders

    How common is pregnancy loss? What are the causes? Pregnancy loss (= miscarriage) in the general population is common. Most losses occur in the first trimester. As many as 5 % of women have 2 or more early losses; 1-2 % have 3 or more early losses [ref 1]. Well established risk factors for pregnancy…

  • 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)…