{"id":34,"date":"2013-07-28T17:24:08","date_gmt":"2013-07-28T21:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dvtaware.net\/?page_id=34"},"modified":"2013-07-28T17:24:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-28T21:24:08","slug":"deep-vein-thrombosis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dvtaware.net\/what-is-dvtpe\/deep-vein-thrombosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Vein Thrombosis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Deep vein thrombosis, commonly called DVT, refers to blood clots that form in the deep veins of the extremities. \u00a0Most of the time these clots occur in a person&#8217;s legs, but they can develop in the arms too. \u00a0Deep vein thrombosis alone is not fatal, but if the DVT turns into a pulmonary embolism it can cause sudden death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs &amp; Symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are several common signs that a person may have developed a DVT. A person may present with all of the symptoms or a mix of them. \u00a0In some cases however, there are very few signs at all. Recognizing these signs early and seeking medical attention immediately are key to preventing a fatal pulmonary embolism from developing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"line-height: 13px\">Pain<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Swelling of the extremity<\/li>\n<li>Redness<\/li>\n<li>Warmth<\/li>\n<li>Cramping feeling in the extremity<\/li>\n<li>Fever<\/li>\n<li>Increasing pain when foot is pointed upwards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Risk Factors<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are many things that can increase a person&#8217;s risk for deep vein thrombosis. DVT can affect anyone of any age ranging from a young woman who has just had a baby, to a middle aged businessman on a long overseas flight, to an older adult undergoing knee replacement surgery. \u00a0Understand the things that may increase your risk for DVT and discuss them with a doctor.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"line-height: 13px\">Immobility<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Dehydration<\/li>\n<li>Older age<\/li>\n<li>Obesity<\/li>\n<li>Recent surgery<\/li>\n<li>Genetic clotting disorders<\/li>\n<li>Pregnancy<\/li>\n<li>Smoking<\/li>\n<li>Hormonal contraceptive use<\/li>\n<li>Hormone replacement therapy<\/li>\n<li>Cancer<\/li>\n<li>Recent trauma<\/li>\n<li>Personal or family history of blood clots<\/li>\n<li>Travel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Diagnosis &amp; Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Diagnosis is made based on presenting signs and symptoms, in addition to imaging and blood work. Several blood tests can be done by your doctor, such as a D-dimer test. Various imaging techniques &#8211; ultrasound, CT scan, venography, etc. &#8211; are done to visualize the blood clot in the vein. After the diagnosis is confirmed, there are several ways to treat deep vein thrombosis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anticoagulant medications &#8212; to prevent the clot from getting bigger while your body slowly breaks it down over several months (*the most common method)<\/li>\n<li>Thrombolytic medications &#8212; in emergency situations, to destroy the blood clot immediately<\/li>\n<li>Surgical options &#8212; to remove the clot, also used in emergency situations<\/li>\n<li>Inferior vena cava filters &#8212; tiny filters resembling umbrellas placed in a vein in the lower leg to prevent pieces of the blood clot from traveling anywhere else in the body<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dvtaware.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/882275_68075960-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" class=\"thumbnail alignnone size-medium wp-image-152\" style=\"float:right;margin: 0 0 1em 2em\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dvtaware.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2013\/07\/882275_68075960-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/dvtaware.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2013\/07\/882275_68075960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If a person has factors that increase their risk there are ways to prevent a DVT from forming. See the <a title=\"Prevention\" href=\"http:\/\/dvtaware.net\/prevention\/\" target=\"_blank\">prevention<\/a> link for additional information.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"line-height: 13px\">Hydration\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Leg exercises &#8212; wiggling your toes and doing ankle rolls keeps blood flowing<\/li>\n<li>Anticoagulant medications<\/li>\n<li>Walking<\/li>\n<li>Compression stockings (which resemble nylons\/knee socks)<\/li>\n<li>Sequential compression devices &#8212; mechanical devices that inflate and deflate to prevent blood clots from forming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Smeltzer, S. C., Bare, B. G., Hinkle, J. L., &amp; Cheever, K. H. (2010). Brunner and Suddarth\u2019s textbook of medical surgical nursing (12th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, &amp; Wilkins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deep vein thrombosis, commonly called DVT, refers to blood clots that form in the deep veins of the extremities. \u00a0Most of the time these clots occur in a person&#8217;s legs, but they can develop in the arms too. \u00a0Deep vein thrombosis alone is not fatal, but if the DVT turns into a pulmonary embolism it&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/dvtaware.net\/what-is-dvtpe\/deep-vein-thrombosis\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":32,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/_full_width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Deep Vein Thrombosis - DVT\/PE Aware<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dvtaware.net\/what-is-dvtpe\/deep-vein-thrombosis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deep Vein Thrombosis - DVT\/PE Aware\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Deep vein thrombosis, commonly called DVT, refers to blood clots that form in the deep veins of the extremities. \u00a0Most of the time these clots occur in a person&#8217;s legs, but they can develop in the arms too. \u00a0Deep vein thrombosis alone is not fatal, but if the DVT turns into a pulmonary embolism it&hellip; 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