Treatment for Blood Clots in the Veins of the Legs

Exclusion Criteria

• •Current familial or acquired bleeding diathesis not attributable to heparin (prothrombin time greater than 15 s, a PTT greater than 36 s, fibrinogen less than 150 mg/dL); platelet count less than 50,000/gL unsupportable with platelet transfusions; creatinine greater than 2 mg/dL; severe hypertension (systolic greater than 200 mm Hg, or diastolic greater than 100 mm Hg); atrial fibrillation; known right-to-left shunts; pregnancy; breast feeding; history of anaphylactic reactions to contrast media; history or evidence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Patients with underlying coagulopathy must be evaluated and cleared by Dr. Horne or a consulting NIH hematologist before they can be accepted for the treatment protocol.
• •Any of the following within the previous 2 weeks: gastrointestinal hemorrhage, active peptic ulcer disease, hemoptysis, genitourinary tract hemorrhage (except microscopic hematuria), major surgery, trauma, or biopsy of a non-compressible site.
• •Any of the following within the previous 2 months: cerebrovascular accident or hemorrhage.
• •Patients with hematocrits less than 30 percent or hemoglobin's less than 19 g/dl, based on Clinical Center testing will not be asked to participate in the Thrombolytic Enzyme Kinetic Study.