Surgical Treatments for Venous Thrombosis (DVT/PE)

Treatment for acute clot in the leg (DVT) or lung (PE) requires immediate evaluation and usual hospitalization.  If you suspect you may have a blood clot, you should seek medical care immediately either through your primary physician or local hospital emergency room.  Immediate treatment involves blood thinning medication (anticoagulation) and most of the time will require hospitalization.   Depending on the clinical situation, you may also be a candidate for the following treatments.

• Thrombolysis. Blood clot dissolving medicine that is delivered directly into the clot by a catheter placed through a puncture in the skin and directed to the clot by xray imaging.  Requires hospitalization, close observation, and usually several procedures for complete clot removal .
• Mechanical Thrombectomy.  Removal of clot directly with a catheter that will break apart the clot and remove it from the vein.
• Operative Thrombectomy.  Removal of clot directly from the vein through incisions in the leg and vein.  Usually reserved for extreme clotting problems unable to be treated with thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy.   
• Vena Cava Filter.  Reserved for patients who can not take blood thinning medications, this special filter is placed directly in the vena cava (large vein in abdomen) to catch any clot that may break off from leg vein and prevent it from traveling to the lung.  Some types of filters are permanent and others can be temporary with later retrieval