News

New approach to VTE provides rapid and safe treatment to reliably and completely resolve thrombus

March is Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) awareness month. Interventional Radiology at Inland Imaging would like to take this opportunity to increase awareness regarding DVT, pulmonary embolism (PE), and the latest treatment options for these conditions. FDA approved ultrasound-accelerated catheter directed thrombolysis is the latest treatment option for VTE. This treatment involves rapid placement of a catheter into the thrombus under fluoroscopy. The ultrasound technology embedded in the infusion catheter enhances thrombolytic penetration into the clots, even in difficult to reach places, such as behind venous valves. Clot clearance is accelerated compared to conventional catheter-directed thrombolysis. It potentially exposes the patient to less thrombolytic and, more importantly, results in improved thrombus clearance.

• Blood clots develop in the deep veins of the extremities, causing pain, swelling, discomfort
• 50 percent of these cases are silent
• Blood clots may break off and become lodged in arteries of the lung, causing pulmonary embolism, a potentially devastating condition claiming the lives of nearly 200,000 people per year
• If inadequately treated, post-thrombotic syndrome may develop, resulting in permanent debilitating damage in the affected veins and valves and a deteriorated quality of life
• Estimated more than 250,000 patients are hospitalized annually with VTE

• Cancer
• A personal or family history of blood clots
• Oral contraceptive therapy
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Hip or knee replacement surgery

• Predictable results in clearing clots of any size, any shape and any volume
• Minimal procedural time in the cath lab
• Minimal risk of bleeding complications and infusion times
• Benign effect of ultrasound to the human body
• High rate of thrombolysis, reducing the risk of developing complications, such as PE and PTS

If you have a patient with a known VTE, or you suspect one of your patients may be at risk, please call our patient care coordinator, Lisa Kellogg at (509) 363-7554. Our team will make sure that your patient is triaged by an Interventional Radiologist with appropriate referrals to hospitalists or other specialists. This comprehensive approach has been shown to be efficient for patients and referring doctors, while improving communication. Most importantly, this improves outcomes by offering multidisciplinary guideline based diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.