Study: Clot-busting drugs not beneficial as routine first-line treatment for deep vein thrombosis

Researchers are reporting that most patients with blood clots in their legs—a condition known as deep-vein thrombosis—do not benefit from the use of clot-busting drugs as first-line treatment of the condition. The study, called the ATTRACT trial, is primarily funded by NHLBI.  “This landmark study, conducted at 56 clinical sites, demonstrated in an unbiased manner no benefits of catheter-directed thrombolysis as a first-line deep vein thrombosis treatment, enabling patients to avoid an unnecessary medical procedure,” said NHLBI program officer for ATTRACT Andrei Kindzelski, MD, PhD. The study appears in The New England Journal of Medicine.