Thrombosis & Hemostasis Program

Thrombosis and Hemostasis: What You Need to Know

The Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program at The University of Vermont Medical Center, offers specialty evaluation and management of patients with abnormal blood clots and blood-clotting abnormalities.

The largest clinical area includes evaluation and management of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus, assessment of risk factors for these disorders, and use of that information to make long-term treatment plans.

Thrombosis and Hemostasis Conditions Treated

• Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism
• Unexplained Heart Attack and Stroke
• Thrombosis in Pregnancy and Related Conditions
• Cerebral Vein Thrombosis
• Thrombophilic disorders
• Post-Thrombotic Syndrome
• Bleeding Disorders including Hemophilia and von Willebrand's Disease
• Family evaluations for thrombophilia and bleeding - genetic counseling

The UVM Medical Center Team

Our team of physicians and nurses is dedicated to treating individual patients and families, as well as advancing knowledge through research in this field.

Our staff have extensive experience in all aspects of thrombosis disorders and are recognized nationally and internationally for their clinical and research efforts. In addition to providing regular educational opportunities for providers in northern New York and Vermont, they participate in national and international conferences and serve on a variety of regional, national and international medical science organizations.

Research

Research efforts are directed toward improvement of patient outcomes, expanding our understanding of clotting mechanisms, and evaluation of interventions used in management of acute and chronic thrombosis. Teaching responsibilities are dedicated to helping future physicians, and physicians in training provide state-of-the-art care to their patients.

Thrombosis and Hemostasis Clinical Services

Mission

Our clinical mission is to provide consultative care with primary care providers and other specialists to enhance the care of patients with thrombosis and its complications, thrombophilia and bleeding disorders.

Providers

Our providers are board-certified hematologists and specialty trained nurse practitioners and nurses who work together as a team, involving other specialists from the laboratory and other services as needed, to achieve the highest quality patient-centered care.

Thrombosis Disorders

• Outpatient treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Care of patients with new DVT or pulmonary embolus (PE) after their hospital discharge
• Warfarin (Coumadin) education
• Individualized consultation on duration of anticoagulation after DVT or PE
• Bridging therapy for interruption of anticoagulation in patients requiring invasive procedures
• Preoperative consultation for DVT prevention in high-risk surgical patients
• State-of-the-art laboratory diagnostic services for thrombophilia
• Consultation on appropriateness of retrieval of inferior vena cava filters
• Post-thrombotic syndrome management
• Genetic counseling for inherited thrombophilia
• Management of pregnancy related deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus or thrombophilic conditions

Bleeding Disorders

Programs fall under the auspices of the Hemophilia Treatment Center program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

• Diagnosis and management of adult hemophilia, von Willebrand's disease and related disorders
• Preoperative consultation for bleeding prevention in at-risk patients
• Genetic counseling of families with hereditary bleeding disorders

Coagulation Specialist Team

There are two types of patients who can be served by a coagulation specialist team. These include patients with:

• Abnormal bleeding (bleeding disorders)
• Patients who form clots where they should not exist (thrombosis)

Abnormal Bleeding

The first category, people with abnormal bleeding, includes patients with hereditary bleeding disorders like hemophilia or von Willebrand's disease, but there are other rare disorders that can cause abnormal bleeding. Abnormal bleeding can include things like excessive nosebleeds or bruising, heavy menstrual periods that are not explained by other causes and bleeding after surgery.

Blood Clots

The second category includes patients who have had blood clots in their veins (venous thrombosis) or other types of abnormal clots occurring for unknown reasons.Venous thrombosis can occur in the leg veins (deep vein thrombosis) or in the lung (pulmonary embolus). Patients with inherited abnormalities that predispose to abnormal clotting (such as factor V Leiden or protein C deficiency), might also benefit from seeing a coagulation specialist. Some of these patients have a personal history of abnormal clotting, and others do not.

If you have questions about whether you should be seen by a coagulation specialist, ask your physician or other health care provider.