For years, the standard treatment has been a medication called heparin, which stops blood clots from forming. This type of medicine is called an anticoagulant (also known as a blood thinner). If heparin is given continuously through a vein (IV), you must stay in the hospital. However, newer forms of heparin that can be given by injection once or twice a day can sometimes be used. You may not need to stay in the hospital as long, or at all, if you are prescribed this newer form of heparin. The drug warfarin is usually prescribed along with heparin. Warfarin is taken by mouth and is usually used for long-term therapy. It takes several days to fully work. Heparin is continued until the warfarin has been fully effective for at least 24 hours. People usually take warfarin for a minimum of 3 months, but sometimes they must take it for the rest of their lives, depending on their risk for another clot. You will need frequent lab tests to check the thickness of your blood when you first start taking warfarin. This lets your health care provider properly adjust your dose. In rare cases, surgery may be needed if medicines do not work. Surgery may involve: Placement of a filter in the body's largest vein to prevent blood clots from traveling to the lungs; Removal of a large blood clot from the vein or injection of clot-busting medicines.
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