The main goals of treating pulmonary embolism (PE) are to stop
the blood clot from getting bigger and prevent new clots from
forming. Treatment may include medicines to thin the blood and
slow its ability to clot. If your symptoms are life threatening,
the doctor may give you medicine to dissolve the clot more
quickly. Rarely, the doctor may use surgery or another procedure
to remove the clot. Anticoagulants, which are blood-thinning
medicines, decrease your blood's ability to clot. They're used
to stop blood clots from getting bigger and to prevent clots
from forming. They don't break up blood clots that have already
formed. (The body dissolves most clots with time.)
Anticoagulants can be taken as either a pill, an injection, or
through a needle or tube inserted into a vein (called
intravenous, or IV, injection). If you have had blood clots
before, you may need a longer period of treatment. If you're
being treated for another illness, such as cancer, you may need
to take anticoagulants as long as risk factor