Post-Thrombotic

Syndrome Complications

Lead to Lasting Disability Veniti

1610 Des Peres Road, Suite 385

St. Louis, MO 63131

United States

Phone (314) 282-3753

Toll Free: 1-855-416-088

According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) or

post phlebitis syndromes can feel agonizing. They say that around 40 percent of people who

recover from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) still feel the symptoms in their arms or legs years

after the primary diagnosis. The Society of Interventional Radiology aims to inform patients and

their families about the long-term risks of disability in DVT.

DVT Prevention and Neglect

DVT happens when a blood clot forms in a deep leg vein. It is a dangerous condition, but doctors

concentrate on its short-term risks. Suresh Vedantham, M.D., FSIR, an interventional

radiologist, says that if a person develops deep vein thrombosis, the treatment only centered on

decreasing the harm by utilizing blood-thinning drugs. Doctors never concentrate on preventing

PTS, which is the main determining factor of the long-term quality of life of a DVT patient.

Vendantham, a professor of radiology and surgery at Washington University School of Medicine,

says there is more information now that interventional radiologists may find a way to change

how DVT is treated. They are looking into improving the quality of life of the patient as well as

preventing enervating outcomes of PTS.

Vendantham explains that anticoagulants do not disband a blood clot; it just prevents new ones

from developing. In time, the body itself will dissolve the blood clot, leaving a damaged vein. He

says most DVT patients develop permanent damage in their valves and leg veins. This results in

atypical pooling of blood in the area affected. Patients will have chronic leg pain, swelling,

fatigue, or skin ulcers.

The New Treatments for DVT

There is an ongoing clinical trial about clot removal with interventional catheter. Vendantham

says the treatment is done by interventional radiologists who navigate a specialized device or

catheter into a leg vein. They will then thread it into the vein that has the blood clot. Once

located, they will infuse a “clot-busting” drug into the clot.

The trial revealed that the treatment is effective within 14 days after the DVT symptoms began.

Patients who received the treatment felt fewer long-term symptoms and more time in continuing

their daily tasks.

Sources:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/when-deep-vein-thrombosis-causes-long-

term-damage/

http://veniti.com/patients/venous-disease/

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-03-complication-post-thrombotic-syndrome-

lengthy-disability.html