If you are diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, you need prompt treatment to keep the clot from growing and to keep additional clots from forming.
Medicines are the most common method for treating blood clots in the lungs. There are multiple types of medicines used in the treatment of a pulmonary embolism.
Antithrombotic therapy: These medications, which keep clots from forming in the first place and from growing, include two classes of drugs — anticoagulants and antiplatelets. Anticoagulants (also called blood thinners) slow down clotting, while antiplatelets keep platelets from clumping. Pulmonary embolism will be treated with anticoagulants, which is either intravenous infusion medication, injection medication into your subcutaneous tissue, or oral medication.
Thrombolytics: This type of medication is used to dissolve blood clots. Because thrombolytics can cause major bleeding, they are typically used only for a severe, large or life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Thrombectomy is a procedure that directly removes a blood clot from a blocked blood vessel. Thrombectomy can be performed in two ways:
- During surgical thrombectomy, the doctor makes an incision at the site of the blockage to remove the clot and repair the blood vessel. Surgical thrombectomy is often performed if the clot is large or the blockage is in an area that is difficult to reach with catheters.
- In endovascular thrombectomy, also known as catheter-directed thrombectomy, a catheter is introduced into your artery through a small incision in the groin or arm. Once the catheter reaches the clot, doctors use special tools to remove it. Then, clot-dissolving medicine is used to clear away any remaining pieces.
After thrombectomy, you may be in the hospital overnight or for a few days, depending on the type of procedure you had.
A vena cava filter may be recommended if you cannot take blood thinners to prevent blood clots. The filter is a small metal device designed to keep blood clots from traveling to the lungs, and it can be either permanent or retrievable.
A surgeon implants a vena cava filter during a catheter-based procedure that typically takes about an hour. A sedative will be given to help relax you during the procedure, then a local anesthetic will be used to numb the area where the catheter is inserted.
A surgeon will make a small incision to insert the catheter (small tube) into a vein. Guided by X-ray imaging, the surgeon will maneuver the catheter to the inferior vena cava. The filter is placed, then it expands and attaches to the inferior vena cava’s walls.
After the procedure, the catheter and IV will be removed. You will recover for a few hours at the hospital while being monitored before being leaving to go home.
