Medications and procedures to treat a blood clot in the lungs

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Several types of venous disease can cause blood clots to form. These clots can break loose and travel to your lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), a potentially dangerous condition that requires immediate medical care.

Our doctors in MHVI are experts in treating this condition.

Medications

In many cases, a pulmonary embolism can be treated with medication to help dissolve clots and prevent new ones from forming.

  • Blood thinners (anticoagulants): These drugs reduce the blood’s ability to clot. Some common anticoagulants include heparin, warfarin and fondaparinux.
  • Thrombolysis: This drug therapy is used to dissolve a blood clot by injecting blood thinning medications directly into it. This treatment may be combined with a procedure to physically remove the clot with a catheter.

Surgery and minimally invasive procedures

If medication is not effective to dissolve or prevent clots, or the pulmonary embolism is life-threatening, your doctor may recommend:

  • Clot removal: If the clot is large, you may need a procedure to remove it. This may be done through a thin, flexible tube known as a catheter that is inserted through a small incision and guided through your blood vessels to the blood clot
  • Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters: If you are at risk for blood clots, your doctor can place a small, wiry device in the large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower body back to the heart. This filter allows blood to flow past it while trapping clots before they reach the heart and lungs.
  • Surgery: This may be required to remove clots as a lifesaving procedure

Conditions

Pulmonary Embolism

A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the lungs’ arteries. It’s usually caused by a deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in the legs or arms that travels to the lungs.

Tests

Arterial Duplex Ultrasound for Arms and Legs

Arterial duplex ultrasound uses Doppler and traditional ultrasound to assess blood flow in the arteries of your arms and legs.

Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart and chest wall.

Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan

The cardiac computed tomography scan, or cardiac CT, uses X-rays to create three-dimensional images of your heart and blood vessels.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging, better known as cardiac MRI, is a combination of radio waves, magnets and computer technology to create images of your heart and blood vessels.