Deep Vein Thrombois Health Feed

Blood clots can be alarming, more so during pregnancy. The seriousness is much more because of the baby growing inside you. However, the good part is that this condition is considered rare.
However, one can take steps to minimize the risks of this condition during pregnancy.

What is a blood clot?
Blood clots develop when the platelets obstruct blood flow. Normally, this happens after any injury or a cut, in order to prevent continuous bleeding. During pregnancy, blood clots act as a safeguard against losing excessive blood at the time of labor. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is however, a serious condition wherein a blood clot forms within the leg’s deep veins or the pelvic area. DVT is linked to Pulmonary Embolism, a condition wherein a blood clot ruptures and travels all the way to the lungs’ blood vessels.

Bear in mind that statistically, a blood clot may affect one or two out of every 1000 women. So there should be no real alarm unless you realize that you could be at risk. The risks of this condition are at their highest, either during the initial six weeks, post-childbirth or the first 3-4 months post pregnancy.

The risk factors are:

1. Family history of DVT
2. Smoking or having been exposed to passive smoke
3. Age- especially above the age of 35
4. Being overweight or obese
5. Sedentary lifestyle devoid of any exercise
6. Childbirth via a C-section

Common symptoms:
Although rare, some of the common symptoms include:

1. Pain or swelling in the affected leg
2. Pelvic pain
3. Pain that deteriorates while walking/moving around
4. Abnormally large veins

Possible complications:
Placental abruption or blood clots in the placenta

1. Stroke
2. Heart attack
3. Miscarriage
4. Pulmonary Embolism

Treatment and prevention
Adopting a healthier way of life by following a proper diet and exercising regularly is the basic preventive measure you can take. Discuss the type of exercises you can do with the healthcare provider. Exercising regularly ensures better circulation, thus averting the formation of blood clots. Now is as good a time as ever when it comes to quitting tobacco. An anticoagulant will be administered that prevents blood clotting.

What is DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis is a kind of vascular disorder. It happens when a thrombus (blood clot) forms in the deep vein anywhere in the body. It especially develops in the legs. This is a grave ailment and can actually be fatal for you unless you seek treatment right away.

What are the symptoms of DVT?

A worrying feature of deep vein thrombosis is that in most cases it shows no symptoms in the earlier phases. Moreover, what makes diagnosis hard is that even when symptoms manifest, they are very similar to those of other disorders like tissue or muscle inflammation or arthritis.

Here are some typical deep vein thrombosis symptoms:

• One or both of your legs become swollen
• Your legs feel tender and hurt a lot in all postures
• The skin of your legs always feel hot to the touch
• Your skin looks blotchy or discoloured
• You bleed when you cough
• Wheezing and breathing problems
• Dizziness
• Frequent and sharp chest pain

Who is susceptible to DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis usually happens when you sit or lie in one position for long stretches of time especially when you are recuperating after an illness or surgery. It can also happen to you for other reasons-

• Injury: An injury to your legs can narrow the blood vessels and that reduces the blood flow through the veins. That is why blood clots can develop there.
• Pregnancy: The additional weight that woman has to carry in the course of her pregnancy exerts extra pressure on the veins of the legs and pelvis and thus clots may form in the veins.
• Contraceptive pills: Birth control pills raise the chances of a woman getting deep vein thrombosis by four times.
• Obesity: Obesity means forcing extra pressure onto your veins.
• Smoking: Smoking interferes with the flow of blood through your veins and raises the possibility of getting blood clots.
• The family history of deep vein thrombosis: if anyone in your family has deep vein thrombosis, you might contract it too because it is hereditary.

Complications:

DVT becomes lethal if the blood clot becomes dislodged and travels from the legs to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism. This can lead to blockage of the artery of the lung and in that case, a person may die.

Treatment for deep vein thrombosis:

Treatment for DVT includes both invasive and non-invasive vascular techniques.

• Blood-thinning medicines: They prevent blood platelets from clumping together and reduce the size of the existing clots.
• Thrombolytic drugs: If medicines are not effective, work, these drugs will be injected into your veins. They travel down the veins to where the blockage is and disintegrate the clots so that blood can once again flow through the vein uninterrupted.
• Compression stockings: They exert pressure on the vein containing the clot, prevent it from moving, and do not allow new clots to develop. You have to wear them throughout the day.
• Surgery: In very rare cases, when non-invasive methods have no effect, you may have to undergo a kind of vascular surgery called venous thrombectomy. The surgeon will make a minute incision in the vein where the clot is lodged, siphon it out and then repair the damaged vein.

Deep vein thrombosis is easily curable with treatment. Do not delay it, as DVT has the potential to kill you.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition of the blocked deep vein (especially of legs) with blot clot called thrombus. When any of the deep veins are blocked, It results in the swelling, redness, pain and warmth feeling of on the affected site. Sometimes the clot travels through the blood to lungs and causes a pulmonary embolism.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS-

* Swelling

* Redness

* Pain

COMPLICATIONS-

* Pulmonary embolism

* Postphlebitic syndrome (it is characterized by pain, swelling, brownish or reddish skin discoloration and skin ulcer on the leg)

RISK FACTORS-

Many factors can increase your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

* Inheriting a blood-clotting disorder. Some people inherit a disorder that makes their blood clot more easily. This condition on its own might not cause blood clots unless combined with one or more other risk factors.

* Injury to a vein

* Abdominal and pelvic Surgery

* Pregnancy. Pregnancy increases the pressure in the veins in your pelvis and legs

* Prolonged bed rest

* Being overweight or obese

* Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) or hormone replacement therapy

* Smoking

* Heart failure

* Inflammatory bowel disease

* Cancer

* Age. Being older than 60

* Sitting for long periods of time

PREVENTION-

* Calf muscle stimulation during surgery

* Active leg exercises

* Graduated support stocking

* Treatment for DVT

* If you have had surgery or have been on bed rest for other reasons, try to get moving as soon as possible

* If you're sitting for a while, don't cross your legs which can hamper blood flow

* If you're traveling a long distance by car walk around

* If you're on a plane, stand walk occasionally

* If you can't do that exercise your lower legs


* Lose weight

* Quitting smoking

HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT-

* Supportive care

- oxygen therapy

- maintaining hypotention

* Anticoagulation therapy

- heparin

- warfarin

* Thrombolytic therapy

- streptokinase or tPA to hasten the lysis of pulmonary embolus or emboli

* Inferior vena cava interruption (if thrombolytic and anticoagulant therapies are contraindicated or if the patient continues to have recurrent pulmonary embolism despite these therapies, vena caval interruption is indicated by the transvenous placement of Greenfield filter in the inferior vena cava just below the renal veins)

* Pain relief

* Anticoagulant medications

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT-

* THROMBOSIS, lower limbs - Apis mel

* Edema of Foot - Apis., Ars., aur-m., aur., Chel., dig., Kali-c., kali-i., lach., Lyc

* Red swelling of foot - Ars., bry., carb-v., Kali-c

* Red blue swelling of the foot - Ars alb

* Swelling foot painful - Apis., ars., aur., led., merc., sulph

The chest cavity within the ribs is a very vital area of your body. There are multiple vital organs within this area and if there are any problems with any of these, then one of the ways to perform surgery in this area is with the help of thoracotomy.

What is thoracotomy?
Thoracotomy is the opening up of the chest cavity for the doctors to allow access to the vital organs within the region such as:

• Heart
• Lungs
• Throat
• Aorta
• Diaphragm

In this procedure, the doctors make a medium to large incision on the side of the chest which may extend much further up the back depending on how far the doctor needs access too. However, in certain cases, the doctors may extend the incision to the front of the chest and even remove ribs to allow access. Thoracotomy is a major and invasive surgery. It is a fairly common surgery but carries risks because of it being such an invasive surgery.

When is thoracotomy performed?
Some of the indications where thoracotomy is performed would be –

1. To check for lung diseases
2. To remove non-cancerous or benign tumors
3. To treat infections of the chest cavity also known as empyema
4. To remove blood from the lungs in a condition known as Hemothorax
5. Thoracotomy is also performed as an emergency procedure to remove fluid from the chest cavity
6. One of the most common cases wherein this procedure is performed is during pulmonary embolism or a blood clot within the lungs
7. Treatment of wounds sustained from knife stabbings or gunshot wounds
8. As a part of treatment for lung cancer

Risks of Thoracotomy

1. Since thoracotomy is more invasive than other procedures, it tends to carry more risks as well. Some of the risks are mentioned as follows -
2. Infection of the wound, as is the case with any surgery
3. Excessive bleeding during the surgery
4. Development of Pneumonia due to the lungs becoming inflamed after the surgery
5. If the heart surgery isn’t successful, then it might lead to further worsening of the problems.
6. Further chances of blood clots; especially deep vein thrombosis, wherein a clot in the leg moves up to the lungs causing serious health problems.
7. Leakage of air through the walls of the lungs that results in longer healing time and thus warrants longer hospital stay.

Aftercare
Aftercare is fairly complicated with this procedure and will take some time to heal completely.

1. In most cases, tubes to carry out fluids, as well as IV Drips, may also be connected to you.
2. You will also be given anti-pain and anti-inflammatory medications in order to deal with post-surgery recovery.
3. You will also be recommended breathing and movement exercises to slowly improve your tolerance and bring back normalcy in movement.
4. You will also need to be careful while touching the area so as not to infect it.
5. Ensure your hands are thoroughly washed and clean when you touch them. Also, ensure that dressings are changed regularly with the appropriate precautions as prescribed by the doctors.

A blood clot in the leg is termed as Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT. This blood clot can be fatal because it usually blocks the passage of blood to the heart by damaging the one way valves of the veins. This can also reach other organs like the lungs in which situation the case becomes complicated and may also lead to death.

There are various ways of preventing the onset of these clots. Follow these points to know more:

* Blood Thinners: Prolonged hospital stay and a major surgery like joint replacement can lead to blood clots in the legs or DVT. Therefore, it is imperative to ask your doctor about a prescription for blood thinners which can help in better blood flow despite minimal motion in the legs or stiffness. 

* Compressions Stockings: If you have been in the hospital for a prolonged period or suffering from leg paralysis, then the risk of blood clots is greater than most others. You can make use of compression stockings which will help in preventing clots by holding the area tight so that the blood is forced to pump and flow. These should be used every time you are admitted to the hospital. 

* Exercise: It is important to keep moving in case you are travelling in a long flight that is over four hours long. Also, you can try certain mild exercises in case you have a long standing condition of pain or cramping in the leg muscles and joints. From simple toe flexes to muscle strengthening exercises like the heel or towel hook, you can ensure that the tightening action makes your muscle firm so that the blood clots do not have a chance to form. You may also need to lose weight in case you are overweight so that you can alleviate the risk of these clots.

* Water: Staying hydrated is something that we all need to follow in any case, but it is especially important if you are risk of developing blood clots in the legs. Drinking plenty of fluids is a natural way of thinning the blood, especially if you have been in bed or travelling for prolonged periods. 

* Loose Fitting Clothing: You may want to wear loose fitting clothing when you are travelling or in the hospital so that you do not end up unnecessarily compressing an area in a way that will be detrimental for the blood flow there. Wearing loose clothing ensures that the blood flow carries on as per its normal routine without any blockages.

It is important to remember the above points so that you keep blood clots in the legs at bay.

A blood clot in the leg is termed as Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT. This blood clot can be fatal because it usually blocks the passage of blood to the heart by damaging the one-way valves of the veins. This can also reach other organs like the lungs in which situation the case becomes complicated and may also lead to death. There are various ways of preventing the onset of these clots. Follow these points to know more.

* Blood Thinners: Prolonged hospital stay and a major surgery like joint replacement can lead to blood clots in the legs or DVT. Therefore, it is imperative to ask your doctor about a prescription for blood thinners which can help in better blood flow despite minimal motion in the legs or stiffness. 

* Compressions Stockings: If you have been in the hospital for a prolonged period or suffering from leg paralysis, then the risk of blood clots is greater than most others. You can make use of compression stockings which will help in preventing clots by holding the area tight so that the blood is forced to pump and flow. These should be used every time you are admitted to the hospital. 

* Exercise: It is important to keep moving in case you are travelling in a long flight that is over four hours long. Also, you can try certain mild exercises in case you have a long-standing condition of pain or cramping in the leg muscles and joints. From simple toe flexes to muscle strengthening exercises like the heel or towel hook, you can ensure that the tightening action makes your muscle firm so that the blood clots do not have a chance to form. You may also need to lose weight in case you are overweight so that you can alleviate the risk of these clots.

* Water: Staying hydrated is something that we all need to follow in any case, but it is especially important if you are at risk of developing blood clots in the legs. Drinking plenty of fluids is a natural way of thinning the blood, especially if you have been in bed or travelling for prolonged periods. 

* Loose Fitting Clothing: You may want to wear loose-fitting clothing when you are travelling or in the hospital so that you do not end up unnecessarily compressing an area in a way that will be detrimental for the blood flow there. Wearing loose clothing ensures that the blood flow carries on as per its normal routine without any blockages.

It is important to remember the above points so that you keep blood clots in the legs at bay.