Clinical trials getting underway in Niagara Health’s Thrombosis Service will give patients access to some of the newest treatments for preventing deadly blood clots. Some of those trials include the ANTHOS trials, investigating promising novel blood thinners that aren’t yet available to patients and doctors elsewhere. Niagara Health says the research is also vitally important for treating and managing a common yet serious condition that’s also preventable. One in four people die from causes related to thrombosis, which is the formation of potentially deadly blood clots in the artery or the vein. Once formed, a clot can slow or block normal blood flow. It can even break loose and travel to an organ, resulting in disability or death. Thanks to a significant grant from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , the Niagara Thrombosis Service is currently participating in four clinical trials whose findings will benefit patients around the world. The other studies include the SAVER Trial, a multi-centre investigation to determine if statins, a cholesterol-lowering medication, can help prevent VTE; and the TRIM-Line Trial, looking at strategies to prevent blood clots in patients using PICC lines.The OHRI funding also allowed for the hiring of a full-time research co-ordinator to help with patient recruitment and tracking through the clinical trials.
