Tag: blood clots

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Preventing Stroke Important for Independent Lifestyle

Tranquility - One way to relax and meditate. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)
Tranquility - One way to relax and meditate. (Dr. Noorali Bharwani)

“There are many ways of breaking a heart. Stories were full of hearts broken by love, but what really broke a heart was taking away its dream – whatever that dream might be,” said Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973), a bestselling and Nobel Prize–winning author.

What stroke does to a person is to take away a dream. But where there is a will there is a way. Two basic things required for any kind of success are: patience and perseverance. With appropriate help from family, friends and caregivers much can be achieved, although it may take time.

What is more important is to prevent stroke in the general population and especially people who are at a high risk.

A commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ November 19, 2013) titled, “Stroke prevention in older adults with atrial fibrillation,” by Michiel Coppens, MD and colleagues, discuss the use of new oral blood thinners that reduced the risk of bleeding in the brain by 30 to 70 per cent compared with warfarin. The new medications were at least as effective as warfarin in preventing stroke due to reduced blood supply to the brain.

People with atrial fibrillation have irregular heartbeats, which make them prone to forming blood clots. Warfarin is the most commonly used drug (also used as rat poison) as a blood thinner in humans to prevent blood clots. The main drawback is that the patient has to have regular blood tests to make sure the blood is not too thin. It may cause internal or external bleeding.

The new oral blood thinners (dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban) are approved in more than 80 countries for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients do not require blood tests to check if the blood is dangerously too thin.

According to the CMAJ article, the key points to remember are that many patients do not receive recommended blood thinner treatment. The new oral blood thinners offer consistent benefits over warfarin in older (age 75 years or older) patients with atrial fibrillation.

The article says the rate of internal brain bleeding, the most feared complication of blood thinners, is related to age and is sharply reduced by the new blood thinners relative to warfarin, making these agents particularly attractive for older patients.

Like any new medication, only time will tell whether the drugs are safe and superior to currently used warfarin or should I say rat poison? Talk to you again soon. Take care and don’t forget to listen to music, dance and laugh.

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A New Blood Thinner to Prevent Stroke

A doctor reviewing MRI films. (iStockphoto)
A doctor reviewing MRI films. (iStockphoto)

It was only a year ago, I wrote about a new blood thinner (dabigatran) to prevent stroke in patients with irregular heart rhythm. Now we have a second drug (rivaroxaban) for the same indication. This is good news for patients who are on blood thinners like warfarin – a rat poison.

About 350,000 Canadians suffer from irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (AF). In the U.S. there are approximately 2.3 million adults with AF. The commonest cause of AF is getting old. The lifetime risk of getting AF is one in four after the age of 45. Before that it is not that common. Occasionally, you do see patients in their 20s and 30s.

Most common causes of AF are: hypertension, valvular heart disease, alcohol excess, thyroid disease, obesity, sleep apnea, genetic predisposition and it can be idiopathic (cause unknown). What I call GOK – God only knows!

The most dangerous complication of AF is stroke. It accounts for up to 36 percent of all strokes in elderly people. The cost of looking after patients with stroke runs into millions of dollars.

In order to prevent stroke, patients with AF are converted to regular (sinus) rhythm by applying direct-current electrical shock (cardioversion), by medications or by ablation therapy. If it is difficult to sustain regular rhythm, then the patients receive blood thinners (like warfarin) on a regular basis to reduce the risk of stroke by 70 percent.

The main advantages of warfarin are that it is cheap and is covered by provincial drug plan. Major disadvantages are that you need frequent blood tests to make sure that the blood concentration of the drug is at a safe level to keep the blood thin. But not dangerous enough to make you bleed in the brain or some other place. It is quite difficult to achieve the safe level and maintain it.

Over the years, there has been great amount of research to find a drug to replace warfarin. Last year, dabigatran (Pradax) was introduced. This year we have rivaroxaban (Xarelto) in the market. These new blood thinners do not require regular blood tests.

Rivaroxaban is an oral blood thinner invented and manufactured by Bayer as Xarelto. Rivaroxaban is well absorbed from the gut and maximum inhibition of factor Xa occurs four hours after a dose. The effects last eight to 12 hours, but factor Xa activity does not return to normal within 24 hours so once-daily dosing is possible. Compared to dabigatran which is to be taken twice a day. The daily dose for rivaroxaban is usually 20 mg once a day.

The newer oral blood thinners have been found to be better in preventing stroke than warfarin and the risk of side-effects like bleeding is less than warfarin. And remember – no blood tests.

There are two significant disadvantages to taking the newer drugs. One, there is no antidote to convert your blood to normal if you have a significant bleed after trauma or bleeding due to another cause. The mortality rate can be high. Second, the pills are expensive. So, you have to check with your insurance company if the cost of the pills will be covered. Xarelto is slightly cheaper than Dabigatran because of once a day dosage.

Now, only if we can permanently prevent atrial fibrillation, warts, common cold and hemorrhoids (just to mention a few) then life will be good. You won’t have to choose between the devil and the deep sea. But some of us will be out of business.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Snowbirds – Be Aware of the Risks of Blood Clots in the Legs

Fall is here. Winter will be here soon. Canadian snowbirds are heading south. This involves long hours travelling by road or by plane. Studies have shown a two- to four-fold increased risk of blood clots in the legs following air travel. Similar risk applies to travel by road. The condition is called venous thrombo-embolism (VTE).

There are several risk factors. A population-based case-control study of adults receiving treatment for their first VTE found that long-distance travel (≥4 hours) doubled the risk of VTE. The effect was greatest in the first week after travel but remained elevated for 2 months. Travel by air increased the risk to the same extent as travel by bus, train, or car, suggesting that the increased risk of air travel is due primarily to prolonged immobility.

Women who used oral contraceptives, travellers who were overweight with BMI >30 kg/m2, and those with height >1.9 m (approximately 6 ft 3 in) were at increased risk. People shorter than 1.6 m (approximately 5 ft 3 in) had an increased risk of VTE only after prolonged air travel. Cancer, dehydration and smoking cigarettes also increase the risk of VTE.

A blood clot in a superficial vein is known as superficial thrombophlebitis. This condition is usually not serious or life threatening.

A blood clot in a deep vein of a leg is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is a serious condition as the clot may dislodge, travel through the blood stream and plug a vessel in the lung (pulmonary embolism). Pulmonary embolism (PE) can be fatal.

The calf muscles act as a second pump (first pump being your heart). The contraction of the calf muscles and the valves in the deep veins help push the blood from the lower extremity towards the heart.

DVT occurs when the blood moves through deep veins in the legs more slowly than normal or when there is some condition that makes blood more likely to clot. Two common examples are: when you are bedridden (after surgery, injury or chronic illness) or when you sit still for a long time (such as during a long plane flight or a long road trip). Under these conditions the blood moves more slowly and stagnation promotes clotting.

Symptoms of DVT include swelling, redness, pain, or tenderness, and increased warmth over the skin. It may be difficult to distinguish from muscle strain, injury, or skin infection. Diagnosis is confirmed by special radiological tests. Symptoms of PE range from mild and nonspecific to acute, resembling heart attack or stroke. Once a clot has travelled to the lungs, common symptoms of PE are chest pain and shortness of breath.

There are measures you can take to prevent VTE. All travellers should keep hydrated with non-alcoholic beverages, wear loose-fitting clothing, do frequent calf muscle contraction and make efforts to walk and stretch at regular intervals during long-distance travel. Compression stockings may be beneficial to travellers with other risk factors for VTE. Currently no convincing data suggest that pharmacologic interventions reduce the risk of significant VTE during travel.

Treatment of VTE is with blood thinners (anticoagulants) like heparin and Warfarin to prevent pulmonary embolism. The blood thinners do not dissolve the clot. They stop the clot from getting bigger, prevent the clot from breaking off and reduce the chances of having another blood clot.

The body takes its own time to dissolve the clot or the clot may get organized and form scar tissue, permanently blocking the vein or damaging the valves. Normally, no tests are done to check if the clot is still present as the tests can be inconclusive or confusing.

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Blood Clots in the Legs can be Dangerous

Dear Dr. B: Few days ago I returned from a European holiday with pain and swelling of my right leg. My doctor did some tests and said I have deep vein thrombosis. Now I am on blood thinners. Can you please explain what deep vein thrombosis is?

Answer: Blood clots in the leg veins are not an uncommon problem. A blood clot in a superficial vein is known as superficial thrombophlebitis. This condition is usually not serious or life threatening.

A blood clot in a deep vein of a leg is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is a serious condition as the clot may dislodge, travel through the blood stream and plug a vessel in the lung (pulmonary embolism). Pulmonary embolism (PE) can be fatal.

The calf muscles act as a second pump (first pump being your heart). The contraction of the calf muscles and the valves in the deep veins help push the blood from the lower extremity towards the heart.

DVT occurs when the blood moves through deep veins in the legs more slowly than normal or when there is some condition that makes blood more likely to clot. Two common examples are: when you are bedridden (after surgery, injury or chronic illness) or when you sit still for a long time (such as during a long plane flight or a long road trip). Under these conditions the blood moves more slowly and stagnation promotes clotting.

Obesity, cancer and smoking cigarettes also increase the risk of DVT.

Blood thinners (anticoagulants) like heparin and warfarin are used to treat DVT and prevent pulmonary embolism. The blood thinners do not dissolve the clot. They stop the clot from getting bigger, prevent the clot from breaking off and reduce the chances of having another blood clot.

The most common and sometimes very serious side effect of anticoagulant therapy is bleeding. Blood tests will check how well the medicine is working. If you bruise or bleed easily while on blood thinners then talk to your doctor and get a blood test done.

The risk of having recurrent DVT depends on the risk factors as outlined earlier. Generally speaking, if you have had DVT once then this does increase the risk of another DVT.

Clinically or radiologically there is no test to confirm if the clot is completely dissolved. The body takes its own time to dissolve the clot or the clot may get organized and form scar tissue, permanently blocking the vein or damaging the valves. Warfarin does not dissolve the clot. Normally, no tests are done to check if the clot is still present as the tests can be inconclusive or confusing.

When travelling, stay hydrated so your blood does not become thick. It is important to stay mobile. If sitting in your vehicle or in a plane during long journeys, exercise your ankle every few minutes so the calf muscles can push the blood toward your heart. This will prevent stagnation of blood in your calf.

Enjoy the summer and be safe. Don’t forget, you need lots of fluids, sunscreen and DEET.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!