Nuvaring Lawyer

by Steve Fields on May 15th, 2010

Stroke Treatment: Using Heparin For Nuvaring Blood Clot Symptoms

Women who suffer a stroke must receive immediate medical attention in order to minimize brain injury. Stroke is usually caused by one or more blood clots that block the passageway of a carotid artery. This prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching the brain tissue. Within minutes, the cells supplied by the blocked artery begin to die, triggering debilitating side effects. Please contact us and a Nuvaring lawyer will help explain your legal options if you have suffered from Nuvaring side effects involving blood clots or a stroke.

Treatment for stroke begins with regulating your heart rate and body temperature. If your blood pressure is abnormally low or high, doctors will stabilize it before addressing the arterial clots. Once these elements are under control, the focus shifts to treating the blockage.

Doctors prefer to use thrombolytic medications to treat Nuvaring blood clots in the carotid arteries. However, because the drugs pose a high risk of bleeding, this is not always possible. When the risks outweigh the benefits, the best alternative is to administer an anticoagulant drug called heparin.

Heparin Versus Thrombolytics For Treating A Stroke Caused By Nuvaring

To understand the difference between heparin and thrombolytic medications, it’s worth reviewing how clots form. When there is an injury within an artery, platelets rush to the site. They undergo a chemical reaction that causes their surface to become sticky. This allows them to adhere to the arterial lining – and each other – to form a clump.

While this is happening, your body’s thrombin system produces fibrin. These are sticky strands of material that arrive at the site of the injury to form a web over the platelet clump. This web helps form a blood clot. After the arterial injury has been repaired, the clot dissolves.

A Nuvaring stroke side effect is caused by abnormal clotting where the fibrin strands fail to dissolve properly. The clot remains at the site and prevents blood from reaching your brain. If the clot increases in size, it will further block the artery and starve the brain tissue, causing a stroke.

If you arrive at the hospital within three hours of the onset of a stroke, thrombolytic medications can be used to dissolve – or technically, digest – the fibrin strands. However, research has shown these drugs are far less effective if they are administered after this 3-hour window. Given the high risk of excess bleeding, most doctors will consider the risk too high. They will instead administer heparin.

Heparin influences the thrombin system. It inhibits the production of fibrin strands and thus, prevents existing clots from growing larger and new ones from forming. The drug is given intravenously and starts working almost immediately. Periodic blood tests are necessary to make sure the level of heparin in your system is appropriate because, like thrombolytics, it can cause bleeding. If the level is too low or high, it must be adjusted.

Low Molecular Weight Heparin

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is a derivative of regular heparin. It can be administered through injection rather than intravenously, which makes it convenient as an at-home form of Nuvaring stroke treatment. Also, LMWH does not require frequent blood tests to monitor its level.

Antiplatelet Drugs For Stroke Treatment

If thrombolytics are not an option, your doctor may prescribe antiplatelet medications as an adjunct treatment to anticoagulants. These drugs inhibit the chemical reaction that causes platelets to become sticky. Even though fibrin is an important factor in clots, platelets are the primary component in arterial clotting. For this reason, antiplatelets are often used alongside heparin or low molecular weight heparin.

Nuvaring Lawyer Help

Nuvaring side effects involving a stroke can cause partial paralysis, vision problems, speech disabilities, and other impairments. Their severity depends on the extent of brain damage that results from the arterial blockage. If you or someone you know has suffered from blood clots, stroke, or other Nuvaring problems, find out about your legal rights. Contact a Nuvaring lawsuit lawyer to discuss your options.