SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Protein May Cause Fatal Clots

High levels of a blood protein may trigger potentially fatal clots in surgery patients, researchers reported last week in the British journal Nature.

Mice born with excessive levels of the protein developed clots in their tails and hind feet, suggesting that elevated amounts of the protein called PAI-1 may promote a clotting disorder called deep venous thrombosis, the scientists reported.

If further research proves that, measuring the level before surgery may indicate patients at high risk for the clotting disorder, targeting them for currently available preventive therapy.

Deep venous thrombosis is the formation of clots in veins, usually in the leg, that can kill if they break free and travel to the heart or lung. Roughly 250,000 cases occur in the United States each year, with an estimated 20,000 deaths a year.