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How long do children need to remain on anti-clotting medications for the treatment of a blood clot?

For many children who have developed DVT/PE with contributing factors identified (in other words, whose DVT/PE did not occur “out of the blue”), the length of treatment with anti-clotting medications can be as short as six weeks, especially if the contributing factors are no longer present, or much less significant, by that time. This was shown in a recent multi-national research study called Kids-DOTT, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

However, for children whose DVT/PE have no contributing factors identified, or who have had another DVT/PE in the past, or who for other reasons do not fit the features of children who participated in Kids-DOTT, the length of treatment with anti-clotting medications is typically three months.

For children whose DVT/PE had no contributing factors identified, or who have strong and long-lasting risk factors for developing new DVT/PE, or who have had multiple prior DVTs/PEs, the length of treatment may be six to 12 months or even life-long.

Neil A. Goldenberg, MD, PhD

Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA

Founding Director, Pediatric Thrombosis & Stroke Programs
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Updated: September 2024