Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients.
Podcast Summary
Introduction
Dr. Warrick Bishop is a practicing cardiologist and author dedicated to educating patients about heart health and helping them make informed medical decisions. In this episode, Dr. Bishop provides a comprehensive overview of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and Factor V Leiden—a hereditary clotting disorder—explaining their causes, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. The episode aims to help listeners understand these serious but manageable cardiovascular conditions.
Key Takeaways:
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DVT (deep vein thrombosis) is a blood clot in the deep veins, most commonly in the legs, causing swelling, pain, and redness that can be diagnosed through ultrasound.
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DVT is treated with blood thinners to prevent clot extension rather than dissolve it, as the body naturally breaks down clots over approximately three months.
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PE (pulmonary embolism) occurs when a clot from a DVT travels to the lungs and becomes lodged in lung blood vessels, which can be life-threatening and requires immediate diagnosis via CT pulmonary angiogram.
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Risk factors for DVT include immobility, pregnancy, obesity, smoking, oral contraceptive use, surgery, cancer, and advanced age.
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Approximately 30% of DVT and PE cases have a hereditary cause, with Factor V Leiden being the most common genetic clotting disorder.
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Factor V Leiden is a genetic mutation where the blood protein Factor V doesn't properly interact with protein C, the body's clot-preventing mechanism, increasing clot formation risk.
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PE symptoms include sudden shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), collapse, and occasionally coughing up blood, requiring urgent treatment with blood thinners and sometimes clot-busting drugs.
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Long-term blood thinner therapy lasting six months to life is recommended for PE patients, particularly those without a clear provocation for their clot.
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Factor V Leiden requires special consideration in young patients with clots, pregnant women, and those using estrogen-based oral contraceptives, with smoking strongly discouraged.
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Interestingly, Factor V Leiden has not been linked to stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, despite its association with increased clotting tendency.
