Deep Vein Thrombosis - Essay Example

9 March Deep Vein Thrombosis Causes: Blood in the body should keep circulating in order for all organs to function properly. Whenever there is any kind of hindrance to the flow of blood, it becomes stagnant causing the blood to clot. Although blood keeps developing microscopic clots in all veins in the body, yet the clots are continuously disintegrated by the body itself. Thus there normally exists a balance between clot formulation and decomposition. However, there is great verisimilitude of occurrence of clotting if this balance between clot formulation and disintegration shatters.

A thrombus normally forms because of one or many of the following factors: Immobility: Immobility can be a potential cause of deep vein thrombosis. Immobility can occur in long air, car or train travels which cause prolonged sitting, thus restricting the necessary movement and mobility. Other situations in which people commonly become immobile are when they get hospitalized or go when through a surgery. Pregnancy and obesity also limit mobility. Hypercoagulability: Hypercoagulability occurs when the speed of blood’s coagulation increases.

This may happen because of smoking, cancer, medication of any sort, genetic predisposition or increase in the amount of red blood cells in the body. Vein trauma: Vein can experience a trauma in case of fracture or bruises on the leg. Symptoms: Trauma experienced by the vein is the most common cause of clotting of blood in superficial vein system. In the deep venous thrombosis, symptoms are related to the hindrance to the flow of blood from different body organs to the heart. This causes the vein and the skin around it to undergo inflammation.

Symptoms of deep venous thrombosis include, but are not limited to excessive warmth, swelling, redness and tenderness on the skin. The patient feels pain in the specific regions on the skin where the symptoms show up. However, it is not necessary that these symptoms will always occur. In the deep vein thrombosis, one, many, all or even none of the aforementioned symptoms may be there, though when they do occur, the symptoms can imitate cellulitis or infection in the leg. Treatment: There are two fundamental ways in which deep vein thrombosis can be treated: 1.

Anticoagulation: The deep vein thromboses happening underneath the knee can be examined with series of ultrasounds that may be conducted so as to ensure that the thromboses are limited to the area underneath the knee and are not protruding upwards. Anticoagulation is the treatment required for the above-knee deep vein thrombosis. This treatment retards the growth of blood clot. This way, it is prevented from developing embolus which may otherwise, make its way to the lung. 2. Surgery: Surgery is rarely adopted as a treatment for deep vein thrombosis.

It is recommended for patients who are unable to take blood thinning medications or the ones who get recurrent blood clots developed in the veins as they take the anti-coagulant medicines. Often, an Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter is placed along with surgery in order to stop the embolization to lung by future clots (medicinenet.com 4). Works Cited: “Deep Vein Thrombosis.” 2011. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .