Blood Clots
Overview
Each year in the United States, there are approximately 900,000 cases of venous blood clots diagnosed. DVT (deep vein thrombosis) is the medical term for a blood clot in the leg vein, and PE (pulmonary embolism) is the medical term for a blood clot in the lungs. For a DVT, symptoms can include swelling, pain, and/or redness of the involved extremity. For a PE, symptoms can include chest pain, or shortness of breath. Some of the common risk factors for thrombosis include: immobility, certain types of surgery, congenital/inherited disorders, blood abnormalities found on blood testing, and malignancy. Diagnosis of DVT or PE is typically made with imaging studies (e.g. ultrasound or CT scan).
Treatment Options
Standard treatment of a venous blood clot is anticoagulation (use of “blood thinners”). There are various anticoagulants that can potentially be used as treatment. Evaluation by a physician will help determine which anticoagulant should be prescribed for an individual patient.
Blood Clot Specialists
Dr. Raymond Tsao
Dr. Vijay Narendran
Sujal Shah, MD
Sujal Shah, MD is a former assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas at Austin and an associate instructor of clinical medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Shah completed his internal medicine residency and his hematology and oncology fellowship at Tulane University Hospital and Clinics in New Orleans.
Dr. Shah is currently seeing patients with different types of cancers, with a focus on lung cancer and head and neck cancers. Dr. Shah is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.
Kelly Foster, MD
