Hormones are administered in various forms for contraception, postmenopausal symptom management, treatment of hormone-responsive cancers, breast cancer risk reduction, and therapy in transgender individuals. This chapter will focus on the association of estrogen and/or progestin therapy with thromboembolic disease. The…
Vena Cava Filters Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a disease entity that includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Administrative data indicate that 467,000 patients in this…
Overview and Technical Considerations The clinical procedures collectively referred to as apheresis involve the separation of a solute or cellular component of the blood for removal or for treatment and reinfusion. Apheresis was first introduced as a novel therapeutic modality…
Synopsis Patients with disordered hemostasis present one of the greatest challenges to blood banks and transfusion practitioners. Early intervention with appropriate directed therapy can provide adequate hemostasis in a variety of bleeding conditions; however, the rapidly hemorrhaging patient can deplete…
Introduction Antithrombotic agents have been in clinical use for more than half a century and are among the most commonly prescribed classes of medications. Established uses include the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), atrial fibrillation (AF), and acute…
Historical Overview In 1958 a vascular surgeon, Rodger Weismann, and his resident, Richard Tobin, reported on 10 patients from whom they had extracted unusual platelet-fibrin thrombi that formed during a 1- to 2-week course of treatment with heparin. These physicians…
Introduction Complement is an elaborate system that participates in the innate immune response. Mutations and autoantibodies leading to unregulated complement activation are implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases. Among them, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical…
Introduction Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is one of the most devastating thrombotic disorders of humans and carries a mortality rate of about 90% if untreated. Even with current state-of-the art therapy, mortality has not improved significantly over the past 3…
Introduction Patients with cancer are highly susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE), as well as arterial thromboembolic events, complications that contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of the disease. There is an abundance of epidemiologic evidence to support the close-knit…
Pathophysiology of Arterial Thrombosis In general, venous thrombosis is caused by disturbances in the plasma coagulation system, with platelet participation playing a minor role, whereas in arterial thrombosis, platelets play the major role with limited participation of the plasma coagulation…