Treatment of DVT: Anticoagulation

If you have a deep vein thrombosis in the legs confirmed on ultrasound you will receive advice on anticoagulation medication. This may take the form of a low molecular weight heparin injection and then the use of a medication called warfarin with which you will have to have regular blood tests to check that the Warfarin is thinning your blood adequately or not too much. Or you may be put on to something called a Doac which is a direct oral anticoagulant and these are now the most common drugs to be used in the management of deep vein thrombosis. Depending on the extent of your deep vein thrombosis you may be asked to take the medication for anything from six weeks, three months, six months or lifelong. If you have had a recurrent deep vein thrombosis, i.e. this is your second or third, it is likely that you will be asked to stay on anticoagulation for life. It is also very important that you see a vascular or haematological specialist to discuss your future management. One of the other key things that one has to consider is that you may need to have further investigations to rule out other medical conditions that you might be suffering from. There may also be some discussion as to whether you should wear compression hosiery. Another video will discuss the pros and cons of whether you should use compression hosiery. If you have a very extensive deep vein thrombosis, there will be some discussion potentially if your limb is at risk as to whether you should have a treatment involving using a drug that actually dissolves the clot. However, there are various pros and cons to this and these will be discussed in a separate video.