What procedure removes a blood clot?

A thrombectomy is a procedure that removes a blood clot from a blood vessel. It is commonly used to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). There are multiple techniques of performing the procedure based on where the blood clot is in the body, which vessel is affected, and how big the blood clot is.

During a thrombectomy, a small incision is made and a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end (a catheter) is inserted into the blood vessel. This allows the doctor to see the location of the blood clot. Once the blood clot is found, the doctor may use a variety of tools to remove it, such as a balloon, laser or stent. Another procedure is using thrombolytic medications with dissolve the clot by converting inactive plasminogen in the clot to enzyme plasmin, an effective clot-dissolving substance. Some thrombolytics include alteplase (Activase), streptokinase (Streptase), and urokinase (Abbokinase).

Thrombectomy is a serious medical procedure but most of the time is successful and can help to resolve both acute symptoms resulting from blood clots as well as long-term complications.