• Dean, College of Public Health
• Professor, Epidemiology
• Professor of Medicine

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
801 Northeast 13th Street, Room 139
Post Office Box 26901
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73190
Tel: (405) 271-2232

E-mail: Gary-Raskob@ouhsc.edu

Research Interests

Venous thromboembolism is a disorder in which blood clots form in the deep-veins of the leg (venous thrombosis) and may move to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) with potentially fatal consequences.  There are more than 250,000 patients with venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism each year in the United States.  The overall objective of our research is to improve our ability to prevent this disorder, to enhance the currently available diagnostic approaches, and to develop new approaches for treatment which improve the patient's clinical outcome.

Prevention is the key to reducing death and morbidity from venous thromboembolism.  Most patients who die from pulmonary embolism do so suddenly with little or no warning, before a diagnosis can be made and before treatment can be instituted and take effect.  Effective preventive approaches are available for most high-risk patient groups, but these are not perfect, and we are actively involved in clinical trials testing new, potentially more effective preventive measures.

Patients who develop deep-vein thrombosis are usually treated with anticoagulant drugs given intravenously in hospital for several days followed by oral anticoagulant treatment for three months.  Recent studies indicate the long-term prognosis of patients with deep vein thrombosis is poor, with a 30% to 40% mortality over three years and a 15% to 20% rate of recurrent deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.   We are performing a randomized clinical trial to determine if extending the course of oral anticoagulant treatment from three months to three years will improve survival and reduce morbidity from recurrent thromboembolic events in these patients.  If our hypothesis is correct, this could have major public health implications, with the potential for more than 15,000 lives saved each year in the United States.  This study is being performed with the cooperation of colleagues in ten hospitals throughout the state of Oklahoma.  A major general objective of our program is to continue to build a strong collaboration among this consortium of hospitals who will continue to work together on applied clinical research projects originating in Oklahoma.

Recent Publications

• Raskob, G., Durica, S., Morrissey, J., Owen, W., and Comp, P.  Effect of treatment with low-dose warfarin-aspirin on activated factor VII.  Blood, 1995; 85:  3034-3039.
• Raskob, G.  Anticoagulant and thrombolysis in the treatment of pulmonary embolism.  Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 1995; 1:   291-297.
• Raskob, G., Durica, S., Owen, W., and Comp, P.  Monitoring low-dose warfarin therapy with a central laboratory and implications for clinical trials and patient care.  American Journal of Cardiology, 1996.
• Vesely S, Buchanan G, Cohen A, Raskob G, George J. Self-reported diagnostic and management strategies in childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: results of a survey of practicing pediatric hematology-oncology specialists. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology 2000; 22:55-61.
• Stein P, Hull R, Raskob G. Withholding treatment in patients with acute pulmonary embolism who have a high risk of bleeding and negative serial noninvasive leg tests. American Journal of Medicine 2000; 109:301-306.
• Lee A, Agnelli G, Buller H, Ginsbert J, Hert J, Rote W, Vlasuk G, Constantini L, Julian J, Comp P, van der Meer J, Piovella F, Raskob G, Gent M. A dose-response study of the recombinant factor VIIa/tissue factor inhibitor rNAPc2 in the prevention of post-operative venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing total knee replacement. Circulation 2001:104:74-78.