Women affected by birth control side effects continue to look into filing Yaz lawsuit 2010 claims. Blood clots can form within the deep veins of your arms, pelvis, and legs. This condition is dangerous because the clots can become detached from the venous lining and travel with your blood to your heart and lungs. Hence, many woman suffering from Yaz side effects involving deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are vulnerable to arterial blockages as these clots roam through the venous network. These migrating clots (i.e. emboli) expose them to pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack, and other Yaz problems. There is currently no national Yaz class action lawsuit and claims have been consolidated into what is referred to as “multi-district” litigation.
The largest threat posed by a DVT is a pulmonary embolism. This is due to the path along which blood flows from the deep veins in your legs (the most common site of DVT). Because of this, treatment for clots in the veins of the legs is designed to prevent a PE from occurring. This treatment typically begins with anticoagulants.
Addressing The Rate Of Coagulation
Anticoagulant drugs are known as blood thinners, though the term is a misnomer since they do not technically “thin” your blood. Instead, they address your body’s thrombin system. This system activates clotting proteins that manufacture fibrin, the sticky strands that form the mesh over a platelet plug. The fibrin strands strengthen the plug, and thus form a clot.
Anticoagulants, such as warfarin (Coumadin) and heparin (or, low molecular weight heparin) prevent fibrin from being produced. By doing so, they inhibit coagulation. This prevents existing clots within the veins of your legs from becoming larger.
Dissolving Existing Blood Clots
Thrombolytic medications are known as clot-busters. They help dissolve blood clots by activating plasminogen. When this proenzyme is activated, it converts into plasmin, an enzyme that begins to degrade the fibrin strands that form the mesh over the platelet plug. Plasmin dismantles the interwoven strands, dissolving them and causing the clot to deteriorate.
The most common thrombolytic drugs are tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), urokinase, and streptokinase. The first medication – tPA – is used commonly to treat pulmonary embolism, ischemic stroke, and myocardial infarction. Urokinase is administered mostly for large pulmonary embolisms, but less commonly for other conditions. Streptokinase is used for PE and myocardial infarction, but rarely for an ischemic stroke.
Of the three main types of thrombolytic medications, tPA and streptokinase are used more prevalently to treat deep vein thrombosis.
Surgically Removing Clots From The Legs
If a blood clot is very large (a condition known as phlegmasia cerulea dolens), it may pose an immediate danger of breaking free from the venous lining. Doctors often recommend surgery in order to remove such clots; the procedure is called venous thrombectomy and is usually performed with a catheter.
Your doctor – or a vascular surgeon – will insert a catheter into the femoral vein (near your groin) or the popliteal vein (near your knee). The insertion site depends on the location of the DVT. To gain better visualization, a contrast dye may be introduced into the target vein. The catheter is then advanced to the site of the blockage and the clot is withdrawn through it. If the clot is large, it may be broken apart by a device on the tip of the catheter prior to its extraction.
Steps To Preventing A Pulmonary Embolism
If you are unable to tolerate thrombolytic medications and venous thrombectomy cannot be done due to other conditions, your doctor may recommend a vena cava filter. The purpose of the filter is to prevent a pulmonary embolism. Your inferior vena cava is a large blood vessel into which blood flows from your lower extremities. It leads directly to your heart and lungs. By installing a filter within this blood vessel, migrating clots can be caught before they reach your lungs and obstruct a pulmonary artery.
Problems associated with Yaz blood clot symptoms extend much further than mere circulation issues. If you have suffered abnormal clotting, deep vein thrombosis, or other serious Yaz side effects, you may be able to file a claim against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz lawsuit 2010 lawyer to discuss your case.