Re: Tests To Identify Blood Clotting Disorders

[Briana__0]

Posted By Briana on April 29, 1999 at 09:20:12
I have been diagnosed as having had a silent heart attack,  possibly due to a blood clot. I have already had a heart cath which showed normal coronary arteries.  Could you please give me a list of tests that you would recommend I have in order to rule out blood clotting/coagulation disorders?
I want to make sure that I have all the necessary tests performed.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on April 30, 1999 at 12:35:45
Dear Briana, thank you for your question.  I first must ask how the diagnosis of a silent heart attack was made?  Do you have an abnormal ECG or was a portion of the left ventricular muscle found to be damaged on an echocardiogram?  There are many different tests to rule out clotting disorders, but those tests differ whether you have an arterial clot (heart attack) or a venous clot (deep venous thrombosis of a lower extremity).   If you have had no documented episodes of clotting, then I think it's important to confirm that you actually did have a heart attack before doing multiple tests for a clotting disorder.  Thus, I think you should speak with your physician regarding these suggestions.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck.
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.

[Briana__0]

Posted By Briana on April 30, 1999 at 14:37:06
In response to your questions, I have had both an abnormal ECG and echocardiogram. I also had a thallium stress test which showed an abnormality.  In addition, evidence of a heart attack, namely a "moderate" amount of damage to my left ventricle, was seen during the heart cath . My cardiologist is very sure that I have had a heart attack.   No other causes have been identified, so my cardiologist and PCP are both assuming it was a blood clot. What are the different tests to rule out clotting disorders ?

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on May 02, 1999 at 22:07:00
Dear Briana, thank you for the follow-up information.










Follow Ups:


Tests To Identify Blood Clotting Disorders Briana 5/03/1999
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Re: Tests To Identify Blood Clotting Disorders CCF CARDIO MD - MTR 5/03/1999
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