This article could save your LIFE!
Everything You Need to Know about DVT
March is all about Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month. At Ames Walker, we carry a wide variety of graduated compression support hosiery, compression hose, and compression socks and stockings to help alleviate the symptoms of DVT. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about this condition and how we can help.
What is DVT?
DVT occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body. They can form in both the arms and legs but typically form in the legs. This occurs when veins do not have sufficient muscle lining meaning. In short, there’s nothing to pump blood back to the heart except the movement of large muscles around the veins. When the blood fails to return to the heart and stagnates, DVT is a likely outcome.
What are the effects of DVT?
DVT is a serious condition that can lead to an embolism. This occurs when a blood clot in a deep vein breaks loose. It then travels through your bloodstream to lodge into vital organs in your body, potentially causing damage. This condition is life-threatening when a clot blocks oxygen flow to the lungs, which is known as a pulmonary embolism (PE).
How do you get DVT?
It can develop if you have a pre-existing condition that makes you susceptible to blood clotting. It also occurs after long periods of immobility particularly after long flights, surgery, pregnancy, or injury that keeps you bedridden. It may also onset upon damage to tissues surrounding deep veins. Oftentimes, this condition goes unnoticed until a serious injury occurs and proactive measures to combat the danger have passed.
What are the Symptoms?
Deep vein thrombosis can cause pain, swelling, warmth, tenderness, and redness of the leg or arm. However, it may affect you without any evident symptoms which is why it is sometimes referred to as a silent killer.
What is the Prognosis?
Many individuals who experience their first episode of DVT are likely to experience another. Anticoagulation (blood thinners) diminishes the likelihood of DVT significantly. Without them, you’re 50% more likely to suffer from a PE within three months of the first episode. Three months of blood thinners reduce the risk of DVT within the first year to an 8% chance of recurrence. This chance is further reduced by the use of compression stockings. The appropriate lifestyle adjustments will improve your blood flow and keep you healthy, on your feet, and DVT-free.
How can Ames Walker help?
Ames Walker offers a line of compression products to help improve blood flow throughout the body. Reduce the risks of any complications with DVT and act now!
Kaki Zell - Vice President of Sales, Marketing, eCommerce at Legs-4-Life LLC Kaki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She’s been working in the medical device industry for over 11 years and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greensboro Science Center.
Written March 2017 | Page last updated April 2022
Sources:
CDC. “What is Venous Thromboembolism?” https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/facts.html
Mayo Clinic. “Deep Vein Thrombosis - Symptoms and Causes” https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/deep-vein-thrombosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352557
Thrombosis Place. “Blood Clots ∙ Deep Vein Thrombosis ∙ DVT” https://www.thrombosisplace.ca/deep-vein-thrombosis/