Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg, causing pain, swelling, and redness. The most serious complication is pulmonary embolism if the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, and a significant proportion of patients develop post-thrombotic syndrome with chronic leg pain and swelling months to years after the acute event.
What's actually going on in research
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) such as rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran have replaced warfarin as standard therapy for most DVT patients due to convenience and comparable or better safety. Trials are studying catheter-directed thrombolysis to reduce post-thrombotic syndrome, optimal anticoagulation duration in different risk groups, and drugs that block clotting without increasing bleeding risk by targeting factor XI rather than factor Xa or thrombin.
Factor XI inhibitors
Drugs blocking factor XI — a coagulation factor that contributes to pathological clotting but less to normal hemostasis — are in late-stage trials, potentially offering anticoagulation with substantially lower bleeding risk than current drugs.
Catheter-directed thrombolysis
Trials are evaluating whether delivering clot-dissolving drugs directly into the deep venous clot via catheter reduces the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome compared to anticoagulation alone, despite earlier neutral results.
Anticoagulation duration
The optimal duration of anticoagulation after a first DVT — particularly in patients with unprovoked clots or those at moderate recurrence risk — is being refined in trials using recurrence biomarkers to guide treatment length.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on clot location and extent, prior venous thromboembolism, provoking factors such as surgery or cancer, and bleeding risk.
What types of trials are currently open
- Factor XI inhibitor trials — Testing novel anticoagulants targeting factor XI to prevent clots with potentially less bleeding.
- Catheter-directed therapy trials — Evaluating lytic drugs delivered directly to clots to reduce post-thrombotic syndrome.
- Anticoagulation duration trials — Determining optimal treatment length for different DVT types and patient risk profiles.
- Post-thrombotic syndrome trials — Testing compression, exercise, and drug interventions to reduce chronic leg complications after DVT.
- Prevention trials — Studying anticoagulant strategies to prevent DVT in high-risk surgical, medical, and ambulatory patients.
Recently added Deep Vein Thrombosis trials
Comparison Of Different Mechanical Thrombectomy Devices in Endovascular Treatment of Acute Iliofemoral Venous Thrombosis
A head-to-head comparison of two different types of percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) - ClotTriever System versus aspiration thrombectomy (including rheolytic thrombectomy) - in patients with acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was conducted to determine whether ClotTriever System can improve thrombus clearance rate, reduce the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), and enhance the long-term efficacy of endovascular treatment for acute iliofemoral DVT.
Treatment and Secondary Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in Adult Participants With Solid and Hematologic Cancers
This study is researching an experimental drug called REGN7508 (called "study drug") and will consist of 2 parts: Part 1 and Part 2. The study is focused on participants with or without cancer who develop blood clots in certain veins (called Deep Vein Thrombosis \[DVT\]) that block blood flow (Part 1) or focused on participants with cancer who develop blood clots in certain veins (DVT) or the lungs (also called Pulmonary Embolism \[PE\]) (Part 2). The aim of the study is to see how safe and effective the study drug is at treating and preventing further blood clots in participants with or without cancer (Part 1) or in participants with cancer (Part 2) compared with another treatment (apixaban). The study is looking at several other research questions, including: * What side effects may happen from taking the study drug * How much study drug is in the blood at different times * Whether the body makes antibodies against the study drug (which could make the drug less effective or could lead to side effects)
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