Deep Vein Thrombosis

Causes

DVT can be caused by:

• Injury to a vein
• Slow blood flow and blood pooling in a vein
• Blood clotting problems

Risk Factors

The risk of DVT increases with age. Other things that raise the risk are:

• Major surgery
• Trauma or fracture
• Personal or family history of DVT
• Not being able to move, such as with bed rest or airplane travel
• Changes in hormones due to pregnancy, birth control pills, and estrogen therapy
• Medical conditions, such as:
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Heart failure and heart attack
  • Certain kidney diseases
  • Inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and Behcet disease
  • Blood disorders
• Having a catheter in a central vein

Symptoms

DVT does not always cause symptoms. When symptoms happen, they may be:

• Pain in the affected area
• Swelling of a leg or arm
• Tenderness along the vein, especially near the thigh
• Redness, paleness, or blueness of the affected leg or arm

Some may not have any symptoms until the clot moves to the lungs. This condition is called a pulmonary embolism.

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about symptoms and past health. A physical exam will be done.

To diagnose DVT, the doctor may test blood and blood flow with:

• Blood tests
• Compression venous ultrasound
• Venography

Treatment

The goals of treatment are to:

• Stop the clot from growing
• Dissolve the clot, if possible
• Prevent other problems, such as a pulmonary embolism and more clots

Treatment options are:

• Blood thinning medicine by IV or shots—to prevent DVT. It may be used for a long time.
• Medicine delivered to the site using a catheter and x-rays—to dissolve clots. It is given for clots that are large, serious, or in an arm.
• Compression stockings—worn on the legs to improve blood flow.

For large and serious clots, surgery may be done, such as:

• Thrombectomy—the clot is taken out.
• Inserting an inferior vena cava filter—a small device is placed in a vein. It prevents a blood clot from going to the lungs.

Prevention

To help lower the risk of DVT:

• Do not sit for long periods of time. Get up and move around.
• If confined to bed, move arms and legs often. Change positions at least every 2 hours.
• Carefully follow any treatment if you had a DVT before.