Treatment of Blood Clot in Lungs

The medical term used for blood clot in lungs is pulmonary embolism. This is a condition where an artery inside the lungs gets blocked by a blood clot. Most of the time, more than one blood clot is found inside these arteries. As a result, the fuel supply to the lung tissue gets affected. This causes damage to the lung tissue, which may eventually die. It has an adverse impact on the functioning of the lungs and it fails to maintain proper supply of oxygen to various parts of the body. Following this, symptoms like breathing difficulty, wheezing, cough, chest pain, etc. start showing up.

Causes of Blood Clot in Lungs
The blood clot which is embedded inside the artery in lungs mostly forms in the deep veins of leg and then it travels through the bloodstream to reach the lungs. This is known as deep vein thrombosis and it occurs when blood circulation to the legs is not proper for some reasons. It can happen to people who are on bed rest for a long time. Other risk factors of deep vein thrombosis as well as pulmonary embolism are heart diseases, cancer, excessive body weight, serious injuries, etc. Blood clots in lungs are a common occurrence after surgery. During major surgeries like a joint replacement surgery, etc., the tissue debris may get into the bloodstream and trigger clot formation. It often occurs in people who have an inherited blood clotting disorder.

Treatment of Blood Clot in Lungs
Blood clot in lungs is diagnosed with the help of a series of laboratory tests that include a lung scan, chest X-ray, ultrasound, pulmonary angiogram, etc. The main aim of treating blood clot in lungs is to control the size of the existing blood clot and prevent formation of any new ones. Anticoagulants or blood thinning medicines are widely used to slow down the process of blood clot formation. These medicines are highly effective in prevention of any increase in the size of the blood clots. It also prevents breaking up of the blood clots, which can otherwise be dangerous. These medicines are available in the form of pills and injections. Heparin is an anticoagulant which is administered through a needle or intravenous tube and it acts quite fast. On the other hand, warfarin is an oral medicine and it starts working after few days. Depending upon the health condition of the patient, the doctor may give both forms of the medicines together.

The human body can dissolve the blood clots on its own. In some rare cases, where the size of the blood clot in lungs is big and patients show serious symptoms, doctors give medicines for dissolving the clots. Thrombolytics are the medicines that are used for this purpose. As these medicines may cause severe bleeding, doctors prescribe them in emergency situations only.

Apart from the medicinal treatment, there are surgical options that are used for clot removal that are big in size. In one such method, doctors use a thin flexible tube called catheter to remove the clot. The tube is inserted into the body through the groin area or arm and is then passed into the blood vessel to extract the clot. In cases where medicines do not work for the patient or they cannot be given blood thinner medicines, doctors use a special device called 'vena cava filter' that can catch the clots and prevent them from reaching the lungs. This device is placed inside the main vein called the inferior vena cava that carries blood from various parts of the body to the heart.

As you can see, blood clot in lungs is a serious health issue that can cause grave health complications and can be life-threatening too. Timely treatment of blood clot in lungs caused by deep vein thrombosis can be cured within 3-6 months. However, those with major underlying problems may have to continue with the medical treatment throughout their life.