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- mr0r4ng3, on 11/25/2008, -1/+10I thought we knew this already...?
- divinediva, on 11/25/2008, -0/+8Blood clots that cause pulmonary embolism may dissolve on their own.A Doppler ultrasound test uses reflected sound waves to determine.
- vtbarrera, on 02/03/2009, -2/+9Sounds like a good alternative to some of big pharma's solutions.
- schnikies79, on 11/25/2008, -0/+5If you read the article, you would see that you use the ultrasound in addition to the drug.
The ultrasound makes the drug more effective. It doesn't work alone. - inactive, on 11/25/2008, -1/+5This is Great news and it never seizes to amaze all the new medical technology researchers continue to develop.
- secrity, on 11/25/2008, -0/+4I have to pay $40 for a 90 day supply from my insurance mail-order pharmacy. My doctor likes to use brand name Coumadin because different brands of generics can cause variations in prothrombin time (clotting time).
Uniformity of dosage is critical with warfarin. If the pharmacy always used the same generic warfarin manufacturer there wouldn't be a problem, but one 5 mg tab of warfarin may not work the same as a 5 mg tab from a different supplier.
Dosage differences of as little as one milligram of warfarin every-other day makes a measurable difference. I have seen consistently measurable differences between taking 6 mg every day and taking 5 mg instead of 6 mg two days per week; more than enough difference to throw my my prothrombin time outside of limits.
A few small servings of green salad per week also makes a measurable difference. The vitamin K in green leafy vegetables is enough to throw my prothrombin time outside of therapeutic limits. - Oatmeal, on 11/25/2008, -0/+3I know they'd been used to break up kidney stones, but I think dissolving blot clots is a new thing
- MatthewTheRaven, on 11/25/2008, -0/+3Clot busting technology has really come along even in the past 10 years. I got one when I was 19 and another when I was 20, and I was in the hospital for 15 days and 14 days respectively, waiting for IV heparin to slowly dissolve the clot, and it was miserable. These days, they give you low-density heparin and let you inject yourself. And now if you consider something like the technology described here, I would think the survival rate would go way up.
BTW, if anybody ever considers getting a pulmonary embolism... don't. ;) I'm told the pain is comparable to the pain of childbirth and mine lasted about 10 days... - narkee, on 11/25/2008, -0/+3Sonothrombolysis baby.
- mmastrac, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2It never ceases to amaze either.
- bbqribs, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2They do something similar to break up kidney stones as well. It works pretty well.
- fluidfoundation, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2SOUNDWAVE, SUPERIOR.
ULTRASOUND WAVES, INFERIOR. - noseeme, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2Cool story bro. I'm glad to hear how amazed you are.
- marmol, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2"Four deep vein thrombosis patients had their clots partially dissolved and two saw no change. One of the 37 had a complication, a neck hematoma." Must suck to be that guy.
- MatthewTheRaven, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2Warfarin (Coumadin) is one of the cheapest drugs you can buy. $2-$4 for a month's supply at any of the places that have generic drug programs.
- schnikies79, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2@telosmachina
So what if it was rat poison. It thins the blood and so in large amounts it will kill you. In smaller, controlled amounts, it's very beneficial. The reason it was/is used for rat poison is that the rodent hemorrhages and dies. In theory they should go outside to die while looking for water but usually they just keel-over in your hallway.
Coumadin isn't used to dissolve blood clots, it's to prevent them. If you have a blood clot you get injections of heparin or Lovenox. Surgery if it's bad enough. - vulcanius, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2So could this potentially be used in a small device for people with a high risk of embolism or whatever to carry around in case of emergencies? Then again I guess how would you know where the actual blockage was occuring.
- ninjagames, on 11/25/2008, -2/+4Wow, cool to hear. Things we have discovered truly amazes me. Good find, thanks for sharing.
- MatthewTheRaven, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2I agree with you secrity, although I think it has less to do with variance in the active ingredients and more to do with different binders and just different people's reactions. I have heard that certain binders used in warfarin can cause heartburn compared to Coumadin, which generally does not, so I'm considering switching back over.
I've been on warfarin for ~6 years, and my INR has been steady regardless of whether I used generics or brand, and regardless of where I've gotten it from. My diet on the other hand has had a much larger effect. I got on a salad kick one time, all with baby spinach as the base, and the next time I got tested, I was a full point too low. - MatthewTheRaven, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2It's STILL used as rat poison. Not really surprising... I once asked my doctor to prescribe me a large amount so I didn't have to keep getting refills, and he said he would give me a six month supply, but only after asking me a bunch of questions about depression. He wanted me to understand completely that a warfarin overdose would be just about the least pleasant way to die that anybody could imagine, and he wanted to make sure I didn't have even the least little bit of possibility of suicide for any reason.
- inactive, on 11/26/2008, -0/+2but what about it other bad effects of using Ultrasound.
- Jabb0, on 11/25/2008, -0/+2If Ultrasound Waves are used to clean particulate off of jewelry or to remove plaque from teeth and to help loosen kidney stones, Then how is this a surprise?
- aalmeida259, on 11/25/2008, -1/+2"...but i ain't Jamaican man"
- telosmachina, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Not surprising considering it was originally used as rat poison. Seriously.
- TrekDesk, on 06/24/2009, -0/+0Blood clots can lead to many health complicatons including stroke and are more common among inactive and/or obese individuals.
Blood clots are life threatening however exercise can help prevent their formation and assist in dissoving of existing clots. This fact was discovered and presented to the American Heart association in 2003 by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
The study found that levels of an essential blood clot dissolver known as tissue type plaminogen activator (t-PA) are greatly diminished in overweight men (by as much as 30%). This reduced protection in the blood stream leads eventually to problems with blood clots.
Walking for a period of three months for a mere 45 minutes a day, five days a week however increased the amount of t-PA in the obese participants blood by as much as 50%. The study showed that after this walking regimine the obese subjects had similar levels of t-PA in their blood to that of lean participants in the study. Read more at the TrekDesk website. - frosted, on 11/25/2008, -1/+1Or it jars loose the clot and it makes it's way to the brain and gives you a stroke..
great idea..
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