Consultations on patients with venous or arterial diseases

Advances in vascular biology and drug development, as well as improved interventional techniques, are yielding multiple new treatments for patients with venous and/or arterial thrombosis. Hematologists who are providing consultations for these patients often participate in a multidisciplinary approach to provide optimal care. New anticoagulants, simplified and validated tests for detecting vascular disease, and improved interventional procedures can all reduce the morbidity and mortality that result from venous and arterial thrombosis. In this chapter, different aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders are addressed by a hematologist, an expert in vascular medicine, and a vascular surgeon. The key to the prevention and treatment of venous and arterial thrombosis is anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. In Section I, Dr. Charles Francis, a hematologist with expertise in thrombosis and hemostasis, describes the clinical trials that have resulted in the approval of newer anticoagulants such as fondaparinux and the thrombin- specific inhibitors. He also reviews the clinical trials that have shown the efficacy of the new oral anticoagulant ximelagatran. Although currently under study primarily for the prevention and treatment of venous thrombosis, these anticoagulants are likely to undergo evaluation for use in arterial thrombosis. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects as many as 12% of individuals over the age of 65 years, provides a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to physicians across multiple subspecialties. Dr. William Hiatt, a specialist in vascular medicine, discusses in Section II the epidemiology and manifestations of PAD, the best ways in which to diagnose this disorder and determine its severity, and the most appropriate pharmacologic treatment. In Section III, Dr. Mark Jackson, a vascular surgeon, describes interventional procedures that have been developed or are under development to treat arterial thrombosis. He also reviews the status of inferior vena caval filters that are retrievable.