Study probes link between common clotting conditions, atrial fibrillation and pulmonary embolism.

Yale: Medical disorders related to blood clots are major contributors to disease and death worldwide. Two such disorders — atrial fibrillation and pulmonary embolism — may commonly occur in the same patients. To study this association, a team of investigators, led by Dr. Behnood Bikdeli, conducted a systematic review of the medical literature. The research team found that pulmonary embolism and atrial fibrillation share several common risk factors, such as obesity, heart failure, inflammation, surgery, atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), and old age. They also observed that the risk of pulmonary embolism is increased in patients with atrial fibrillation. In addition, they noted that in patients with pulmonary embolism, coexisting atrial fibrillation was associated with higher risk for worse outcomes, such as shock and death.

FDA approves anti-clotting drug Savaysa

FDA (US) approves anti-clotting drug Savaysa, drug approved to treat atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug Savaysa (edoxaban tablets) to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous blood clots (systemic embolism) in patients with atrial fibrillation that is not caused by a heart valve problem.

Pulmonary Embolism

Author: Dr Taylor Thomson Harvard Medical School 2008-07-22

What is a pulmonary embolism?

Pulmonary Embolism (PULL-mun-ary; EM-bo-lizm) is a condition caused by a blood clot that has suddenly blocked one or more of the arteries of the lung.  Health care professionals often refer to pulmonary embolism by its initials, PE.  It is a serious medical condition that afflicts over 100,000 people in the United States each year.  Almost a third of patients with pulmonary embolism die, usually within two hours of the blood clots arrival in the lung.  If the condition is diagnosed and anticoagulant therapy (also known as “blood thinner”) is given promptly, the prognosis dramatically improves.  Mortality from properly treated PE is around 3%.