Large blood clot...any hope?

  : : My father just had a serious stroke. A doppler test found a blood clot behind the heart measuring some 6 inches from which the clot that caused the stroke must likely broke off from. The surgery option was ruled out because the doctors believed the likelyhood that a piece (or pieces) would break off and cause a fatal stroke. They instead chose to use a number of blood thinners in an attempt to arrest the growth and dissolve the clot.
  : : We understand that we're looking for a miracle here. The doctors have never even seen a clot of this size. My understanding of blood thinners is that they don't do anything to existing clots. Are there any that do?
  : : Are we simply delaying the inevitable here? Any thoughts would be appreciated as we are realistic and understand what the likely outcome is.
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  : :                               Thank you, Richie
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[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

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Dear Richie
I do not think any surgeon would operate on your father at this time, mostly because he has just had a major stroke.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.