Blood Clot News and Research

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A Blood Clot is a mass of blood that forms when blood platelets, proteins, and cells stick together. When a blood clot is attached to the wall of a blood vessel, it is called a thrombus. When it moves through the bloodstream and blocks the flow of blood in another part of the body, it is called an embolus.

New blood thinner reduces stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation

Patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation, or AFib, often require one drug to regulate heart rhythm and a second drug to thin their blood and reduce the risk of stroke.

9 Mar 2015

Bayer announces FDA acceptance of BAY 81-8973 BLA for treatment of hemophilia A

Bayer HealthCare today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the company's Biologics License Application for BAY 81-8973, a recombinant Factor VIII compound. Bayer is seeking FDA approval of the investigational compound, proposed trade name Kovaltry, for the treatment of hemophilia A in children and adults.

4 Mar 2015

New guidelines advise nearly all women, people with AFib to take blood thinners

Nearly all women and people over 65 in the U.S. with atrial fibrillation are advised to take blood thinners under new guidelines based on an analysis from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

3 Mar 2015

Study reports 10% reduction in overall C-section births in Portugal

A new study reports a significant decline in the rate of cesarean section (C-section) births in Portugal. Findings published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, indicate a 10% reduction in overall C-section rates between 2009 and 2014, with a 14% reduction in state-hospitals during the same time period.

2 Mar 2015

Hormone therapy safe for transgender individuals, say BUSM researchers

In the most comprehensive review to date addressing the relative safety of hormone therapy for transgender persons, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have found that hormone therapy in transgender adults is safe. The findings, which appear in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology, may help reduce the barriers for transgender individuals to receive medical care.

25 Feb 2015

People who exhibit resistance to aspirin may be at risk of more severe strokes

People who exhibit a resistance to aspirin may be more likely to have more severe strokes than people who still respond to the drug, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

24 Feb 2015

Researchers find key protein critical to the success of common anti-platelet drug Plavix

Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have found that the blood platelet protein Rasa3 is critical to the success of the common anti-platelet drug Plavix, which breaks up blood clots during heart attacks and other arterial diseases.

24 Feb 2015

Study compares two different methods of blood transfusion in trauma care

The University of Maryland School of Medicine is part of a new nationwide, multi-site study that may help save hundreds of lives among trauma patients with major bleeding. The study, which was published earlier this month in JAMA, compared two different methods of blood transfusion, and found that one approach gave patients a significantly better chance of survival within the first 24 hours.

20 Feb 2015

Active middle-aged women have lower risk of stroke, heart disease, blood clots

Middle-aged women who are physically active a few times per week have lower risks of heart disease, stroke and blood clots than inactive women, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

17 Feb 2015

New electronic model holds promise of revolutionizing shared decision-making in doctor's office

Traditional decision aids to help patient-doctor discussions have drawbacks, but a new electronic model developed by McMaster University researchers holds promise of revolutionizing shared decision-making in the doctor's office with the touch of an electronic tablet.

16 Feb 2015

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Viruses are masters of outsourcing, entrusting their fundamental function - reproduction - to the host cells they infect. But it turns out this highly economical approach also creates vulnerability.

13 Feb 2015

Landmark stroke studies presented at ISC, published in NEJM suggest new treatment protocol on the horizon

Research presented today at the International Stroke Conference (ISC) in Nashville, Tenn. and published online in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found that the addition of the Solitaire™ Device stent thrombectomy procedure to current pharmaceutical treatment significantly reduced disability in patients suffering stroke.

From Medtronic 13 Feb 2015

Endovascular treatment can improve patient outcomes after acute ischemic stroke

Canadian researchers have completed an international randomized controlled trial showing that a clot retrieval procedure, known as endovascular treatment (ET), can dramatically improve patient outcomes after an acute ischemic stroke. The study, led by researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), shows a dramatic improvement in outcomes and a reduction in deaths from stroke.

12 Feb 2015

Experts question use of hospital quality measures in CMS’ pay-for-performance programs

A new editorial published in JAMA by Northwestern Medicine® experts strongly questions the use of several hospital quality measures by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in its pay-for-performance programs.

12 Feb 2015

Researchers invent novel sock that can help prevent DVT, improve survival rates of patients

Patients who are bedridden or unable to move their legs are often at risk of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a potentially life-threatening condition caused by blood clots forming along the lower extremity veins of the legs. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering has invented a novel sock that can help prevent DVT and improve survival rates of patients.

11 Feb 2015

USA Vein Clinics to open new center in Marietta, GA

USA Vein Clinics, the nation's only coast-to-coast network of physicians devoted to treating venous insufficiency, will open a new center in Marietta, GA on Feb. 24 at 1050 E. Piedmont Road, north of Roswell Road.

10 Feb 2015

Balanced blood product ratios can improve outcomes in severe trauma patients

Among patients with severe trauma and major bleeding, those who received a transfusion of a balanced ratio of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells (RBCs) were more likely to have their bleeding stopped and less likely to die due to loss of blood by 24 hours compared to patients who received a transfusion with a higher ratio of RBCs, according to a study in the February 3 issue of JAMA.

9 Feb 2015

Readmissions after surgery associated with new postdischarge complications, shows study

In a study that included readmission information from nearly 350 hospitals, readmissions the first 30 days after surgery were associated with new postdischarge complications related to the surgical procedure and not a worsening of any medical conditions the patient already had while hospitalized for surgery, according to a study in the February 3 issue of JAMA.

9 Feb 2015

Retigabine drug could reduce debilitating impact of strokes

New research suggests that an already-approved drug could dramatically reduce the debilitating impact of strokes, which affect nearly a million Americans every year.

5 Feb 2015

Most hospital readmissions after surgery are not due to poor care coordination, finds new study

A study from Northwestern Medicine and the American College of Surgeons published today in JAMA suggests that penalizing hospitals for patient readmissions following surgery may be ineffective, and even counterproductive, for improving the quality of hospital care in America.

5 Feb 2015