In cases of extensive clotting, minimally invasive interventional procedures may be performed. These use special catheters equipped with inflating balloons, rotating catheters or fluid jet devices. Used together with clot-dissolving medications, they break down and remove the clot.
What to Expect
Some clots are treated with a new type of heparin (blood thinning drug), administered through an injection once or twice a day to shorten the hospital stay or eliminate the need for hospitalization. Patients who undergo clot removal typically must remain on warfarin for several months and have their blood-clotting factors monitored frequently.