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.

Prox1 gene plays a critical role in formation and maintenance of lymphatic system

A century after the valves that link the lymphatic and blood systems were first described, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have detailed how those valves form and identified a gene that is critical to the process.

15 Nov 2011

Bayer and J&J’s blood thinner drug triumphs at late phase clinical trial

Drug makers Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson’s new blood clot preventing drug can provide life-saving benefits at very low doses in patients who suffer from acute coronary syndrome finds a new clinical trial.

14 Nov 2011

BIDMC researcher says improvement in survival rates best 'since introduction of aspirin'

An oral anti-clotting drug, when added to standard medical treatment for acute coronary syndrome, lowered the risk of death, heart attack or stroke an average of 16 percent, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions.

14 Nov 2011

Doctors may stop anti-TNF medications for RA patients before surgery to reduce disease flares

As guidelines recommend, doctors appear to be stopping anti-TNF medications before surgery, but may be doing so far sooner than is necessary, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. These medications are used to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, and better timing of withdrawal prior to surgery might minimize the risk of disease flares.

6 Nov 2011

Janssen receives FDA approval for Xarelto to prevent stroke in people with AF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of stroke in people who have abnormal heart rhythm.

5 Nov 2011

Edwards Life Sciences heart valve approved in the US

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Wednesday approved the sale of Edwards Life Sciences Corp's Sapien heart valve for patients deemed too sick to have open-heart surgery.

3 Nov 2011

New computer-based tool enables early diagnosis of cancer

A computer-based tool could help GPs to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from two of the most common forms of cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year.

31 Oct 2011

Oral hormonal contraceptives linked to blood clots: Study

A new study has shown that women who use new type of contraceptive pills are twice as likely to develop life threatening blood clots as those who take older versions. Oral hormonal contraceptives have been known to increase the risk of a blood clot in deep leg veins, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). These can prove fatal if they travel to the lungs. But, researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found the “third-generation” pills are doubly harmful than the older versions.

30 Oct 2011

Special hospital team reduces cumulated risk of stroke in TIA patients

28 Oct 2011

Special team care reduces cumulated stroke risk after transient ischaemic attacks

Patients who had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a "mini stroke", were much less likely to experience further vascular events in the first year if their care was co-ordinated by a special hospital team. That is the key finding from a study published in the November issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

28 Oct 2011

Enoxaparin can reduce risk of VTE in plastic surgery patients

For plastic surgery patients at high risk, treatment with the anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drug enoxaparin can reduce the risk of serious blood clot-related complications called venous thromboembolism (VTE), reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

28 Oct 2011

Clinical and genetic risk factors associated with early stent thrombosis

Patients with certain genes or specific factors related to use of the anti-clotting drug clopidogrel are more likely to experience a blood clot within a coronary stent shortly after placement, according to a study in the October 26 issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2011

Quarter of Medicare drug plans get poor ratings

Federal officials gave negative assessments to more than 25 percent of these prescription drug plans. In the Washington area, that number is even higher. Also in the news, Medicare's database comparing hospital patient safety.

27 Oct 2011

Pradaxa for stroke treatment results in higher costs

Treating patients with the new blood thinning medication dabigatran (Pradaxa), instead of warfarin results in significantly higher per patient costs and higher net costs per stroke avoided, according to a new study by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics (Prime).The study will be presented today at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's Educational Conference in Atlanta, Ga.

21 Oct 2011

Patients with AB blood type 20% less likely to die after CABG surgery

A new study presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2011 focused on whether blood type affects survival after heart surgery. Researchers from Duke University Medical Center studied more than 15,000 patients to determine if a specific blood type puts patients at a higher risk for death or complications after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

18 Oct 2011

Blue Shield of California refuses to pay for breast cancer drug Avastin

In a new development, health insurer Blue Shield of California has decided not to pay for Roche Holding's drug Avastin to treat breast cancer after health advisers said it was not safe or clinically beneficial. Blue Shield of California with around 3.3 million members, said in a notice posted on its web site that the drug would no longer be covered as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer beginning October 17. It said exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4 Oct 2011

Telestroke improves care and reduces costs

The use of long-distance video and data hookups to link remote community hospitals with stroke neurologists in large centres provides the same level of care as having everyone in the same room, according to a new study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

4 Oct 2011

Study: Smokers more likely to develop stroke

Not only are smokers twice as likely to have strokes, they are almost a decade younger than non-smokers when they have them, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

3 Oct 2011

New AAOS guideline recommends how to reduce DVT, PE after joint replacement surgery

An updated clinical practice guideline released last week by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors recommends how to reduce the likelihood of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery, procedures that more than 800,000 Americans undergo each year. The new guideline suggests use of preventive treatments and advises against routinely screening patients after surgery using ultrasound imaging.

1 Oct 2011

Study calls for review of current treatment strategies, more research into stroke prevention

Doctors are underutilising crucial medication to prevent deadly strokes in those with a common type of heart condition, new research says, leading to fresh calls for a review of current treatment strategies and more research into stroke prevention.

1 Oct 2011