Martin Vanderwoude: Pat Quinn will tell you he is a very fortunate man. The coach of Canada's National Junior Hockey Team is also a former NHL and Olympic coach, and he was able to overcome a painful health problem to continue his coaching career.
Pat Quinn: I was having a lot of difficulty in 1996 walking, and was having more and more trouble doing my work on the ice, and then finally in 1997 I did have the surgery to replace the hip, full replacement. I didn't have any complications like many people do.
Martin Vanderwoude: One such patient is Mario Zecchini, just days after his operation, he experienced a blood clot, a potentially deadly side effect which can happen after major orthopedic surgery.
Mario Zecchini: I went for a walk with an assistant, beside my wife and I, and I collapsed. That's all I remember. But I was told after that a doctor was in the vicinity and he came to see me and he saved my life.
Martin Vanderwoude: Dr. Alexander Turpie is Professor of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and a world renowned expert in blood diseases. He describes a new treatment, Xarelto, as a breakthrough, because it may prevent this potentially deadly post-surgical complication.
Dr. Alexander Turpie: We have been able over the years to develop ways of preventing these blood clots, largely blood thinning drugs. But the current ones have limitations. There have been major advances in the development of new drugs and the most important of these is Xarelto, which has recently been approved in Canada for the prevention of thrombosis in orthopedic surgery. This has been shown to be highly effective and will revolutionize the management of these patients who have these procedures.
Martin Vanderwoude: Such clots kill more people each year than breast cancer, AIDS, and motor vehicle accidents combined, and they occur in 40-60% of patients who undergo major orthopedic surgery and do not receive preventative care.
Pat Quinn: After most surgeries you need to know about blood clotting, and obviously talk to your doctor about that, because in my case, I had to take some blood thinners, and in my case also it was by injection; I had to inject it into the midsection, and it wasn't a lot of fun but it had to be done.
Martin Vanderwoude: The danger of blood clots extends well after surgery, so preventative therapy must continue for up to a month.
Dr. Alexander Turpie: The current drugs we have are either given by injection or require regular blood tests. The beauty of Xarelto is that its given once a day, without a requirement for monitoring, by mouth.
Martin Vanderwoude: Patients who want to learn more about Xarelto should talk to their doctor or orthopedic surgeon. Martin Vanderwoude reporting.
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