March is Deep Vein Thrombosis Month
March is Deep Vein Thrombosis month and is not only important to home health patients, but is a serious problem for most Americans today. Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in a large vein, this usually happens in the legs or pelvis. This can cause permanent damage to the vein where it forms. If the clot breaks free it can travel through the bloodstream and into your lungs. This sometime results in pulmonary embolism, an arterial blockage that can be fatal.
DVT plain and simple is a result of sitting immobile for hours on end. This is common for people who work desk jobs or travel a lot in a car/plane. Many people are even investing in a standing desk to help reduce sitting for such long periods of time. However, illness, injury, or recovery from surgery can seriously raise your risk for DVT. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that many cases for DVT occur during or shorty after a hospital stay.
It is important to get up and move at least once an hour to help prevent not only risk of DVT, but long periods of sitting can lead to organ damage of the Heart, Pancreas, and Colon. It can also lead to brain damage, muscle degeneration, weak bones, hip problems, and back pain. While immobile sitting is one of the leading causes of DVT other factors will also increase your risk: Obesity, family history of blood clots, hormone medications, and some kind of previous injury to the vein.
Knowing the symptoms of DVT is one of your best defensives to preventing health complications. If you have swelling, pain, tenderness, skin warm to the touch, and redness of skin you could be experiencing DVT. Some people also report the feeling of a pulled muscle that will not pass. Fortunately treatment can easily prevent damage to the affected vein, and can prevent the clot from moving to the lung.
Unfortunately if the clot does move to the lung it runs a 25% risk of sudden death. It is important if you experience any signs of a clot moving to your lungs that you seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of PE (blood clot in the lung) are as follows: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, faster than normal or irregular heartbeat, anxiety, coughing up blood, very low blood pressure, and lightheadedness or fainting.
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