John Bartholomew, MD

John R. Bartholomew, MD, is Director of the Thrombosis Center and a staff physician in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He has a joint appointment to the Department of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Bartholomew is board-certified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Vascular Medicine. He is a Professor of Medicine for the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

Specialty/Clinical interests: New oral anticoagulants, adverse effects of anticoagulants, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, blood clots, hypercoagulable states (thrombophilia), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, thrombosis in unusual locations, inferior vena cava filters, general vascular medicine, peripheral arterial disease, unusual vascular disorders including erythromelalgia, pernio, lymphedema and lipedema.

Number of Procedures Performed:  Throughout his career, Dr. Bartholomew has performed more than 20,000 sclerotherapy procedures for patients with varicose and spider veins.

Success Rates: The Section of Vascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic is one of the most active Vascular Medicine programs in the United States. Our specialists treat patients with a wide variety of vascular problems, including all forms of arterial, venous, and lymphatic disorders, cardiovascular risk factor management, thrombotic disorders, hypercoagulable states and wound care. In addition, we have expertise on the use of the new oral anticoagulants. Cleveland Clinic has specialty clinics for patients with a number of disorders, including fibromuscular dysplasia, retrieval of Inferior vena cava filters, endovenous laser ablation (first nationally accredited academic practice), and lymphedema. Patients also benefit from programs designed as a result of the department’s close collaborations with Medical Genetics, Pulmonary Function lab and Physical Therapy. Success rates for specific procedures are available at http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/about-heart-vascular-institute/treatment-outcomes.aspx

Education and Training: Dr. Bartholomew completed his undergraduate work at Central Michigan University, and received his medical degree from the Autonomous Universidad De Guadalajara, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He completed his internship and residency at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, where he was Chief Resident. Dr. Bartholomew was awarded a fellowship by the Johns Hopkins Hospital and appointed Senior Clinical Fellow in the Division of Hematology. While at Johns Hopkins, he received the William Bell Award for Patient Care.

Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic in 1988, Dr. Bartholomew was the Assistant Director of Internal Medicine Education at St. Joseph Hospital at Michigan State University, where he was given the Instructor of the Year Award for the Family Practice Residency Program. He also served as Director of the Eastern Michigan Hemophilia Center.

Dr. Bartholomew is the Director of the Vascular Medicine Section’s anticoagulation clinic. In 2003, Dr. Bartholomew was part of the clinical faculty for the Joint Commission Resources, Inc., for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO). He has also been a member of the Deep Vein Thrombosis Steering Committee for the National Quality Forum, which sets the national standards for the care of patients with Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. He currently serves as the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Health Systems efforts to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. He has a joint clinic with Interventional Radiology to evaluate patients for retrieval of their inferior vena cava filters and is Co-Director of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team.

Research, Publications and Speaking: Dr. Bartholomew has published numerous articles and abstracts in professional scientific journals, including the Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, Transfusion, Cardiovascular Surgery, Circulation, the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, Chest, Archives of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of American College of Cardiology, Journal of Pediatrics, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and Vascular Medicine. His publications focus on topics related to smokeless tobacco and cardiovascular risk, peripheral artery disease, pulmonary embolism, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and deep vein thrombosis, among others. He has written more than 45 chapters in medical textbooks related to atheromatous embolization, stasis leg ulcers, hypercoagulable states, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and peripheral arterial disease.

Dr. Bartholomew has spoken at many major national meetings, workshops, symposiums and conferences about the diagnosis and treatment of patients with deep vein and pulmonary embolism and peripheral arterial disease, and the diagnosis and management of patients with hypercoagulable states and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, as well as patients with unusual vascular disorders and lymphedema and lipedema.

About Dr. Bartholomew: “I enjoy my field because many of the patients I treat have disorders that are not well known to other physicians. In that way, patients are extremely thankful that there are physicians that deal with these unusual and often complicated diseases. Many of our patients go from doctor to doctor before they find the right answer to their medical problems, and it is gratifying to let them know that someone understands what is wrong with them. In addition, I like the opportunity to use the newer anticoagulants to treat patients who have blood clots and to help advance the field of medicine related to those events.”

Leisure Activities: In his spare time, Dr. Bartholomew enjoys fishing, hiking, skiing, writing and reading.