Deep Vein Thrombosis: Lower Risk Treatment Now Involves Pill Instead Of Injectable

New findings published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine reveal that a pill may be more effective in the treatment of some potentially fatal blood clots.

The standard treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism involves injecting the drug heparin and an oral drug warfarin, along with the close monitoring of the patient. Both drugs require close monitoring of the dosages because of the potential for additional clots or bleeding, and warfarin requires patients to monitor their diet, as well.

"This study is about giving patients a new option," Dr. Jeffrey Kline, a professor of emergency medicine and cellular and integrative physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said in a news release. "Treating patients at home for blood clots was found to have fewer errors than the standard of care and better outcomes. Patients have to be taught to give themselves injections, and it scares them to death. Almost everyone has taken a pill, so there is no learning curve for patients."

During the study, researchers treated 106 low-risk patients that had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism at two metropolitan emergency rooms, according to Medical Xpress. The patients were admitted to the emergency room between March 2013 and April 2014, with 71 suffering from deep vein thrombosis and 30 dealing with pulmonary embolism. Another five were also diagnosed with both.

Instead of using the standard treatment previously described, the researchers treated them with rivaroxaban, which does not require blood monitoring.

Findings revealed that none of the patients in the study had a recurrence of clots or extra bleeding. However, three of the participants had recurring deep vein thrombosis after the treatment was stopped.

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