Heart & Veins - Venous thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism

How venous thrombosis
becomes noticeable

What causes venous thrombosis?

How is venous thrombosis treated?

What steps can I take if I have
venous thrombosis?

How venous thrombosis becomes noticeable

Thrombosis is the partial or complete blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot, also known as a thrombus. It can appear in all blood vessels; it generally forms in veins, particularly in the deep leg and pelvic veins. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a disease that includes deep vein and pelvic thrombosis (DVT) and its most dangerous complication, pulmonary embolism (PE).

Venous thrombosis becomes noticeable due to:

Pain on pressure, and movement and tension-type pain.
Change in skin colour (blue) and warmth of the affected limb.
Significant swelling and pain in the calf muscles when flexing the foot.

Additional symptoms such as shortness of breath and pain in the chest region are indications of pulmonary embolism – an acute emergency that could be fatal and requires that emergency services be contacted immediately.

Venous thrombosis is generally diagnosed by an ultrasound examination of the veins (sonography). Pulmonary embolism (PE) is generally verified using computed tomography or scintigraphy of the upper body. In addition to these imaging procedures, blood examinations are also carried out to confirm the diagnosis.

What causes venous thrombosis?

Thrombosis generally arises when the following three factors occur together:

Sluggish blood flow e.g. due to sitting for long periods of time or cramped sitting conditions, being bedridden, dilated veins (varicose veins) or heart failure.
Altered blood composition e.g. due to a lack of fluid, medication, toxins, pregnancy, a genetic predisposition to developing blood clots or a reduced ability to dissolve blood clots.
Damage to the inner wall of the vessels, which triggers coagulating processes e.g. in case of injuries, operations, diabetes mellitus or age-related degenerative changes.

An embolism can occur if some of the blood clot breaks off and is swept into an organ by the circulating blood. This blocks the supply of blood and therefore oxygen to the organ, leading to death of the tissue. In case of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot reaches the lungs and blocks one or more branches of the pulmonary arteries. This occurs relatively frequently as venous blood is transported back to the heart from the legs and is then pumped directly to the lungs for oxygen uptake. If there is resistance to the flow of blood through the lungs, the body can no longer be supplied with sufficient oxygen. This accumulation of blood places severe pressure on the heart, leading to cardiac failure.

How is venous thrombosis treated?

The primary aim of treatment is to avoid pulmonary embolism and to prevent the blood clot from growing. The body can dissolve the clot and begin to repair the damage. These processes are supported by measures that are based on two basic principles:

Lowering the clotting ability of the blood by using so-called anticoagulants (wrongly called "blood thinners", e.g. Marcumar^® or a substance from the group of the newer non-Vitamin K dependent oral anticoagulants, the "NOACs").
Support venous blood flow by using compression measures. You can wear tight-fitting compression stockings.

Emergency treatment of pulmonary embolism in hospital involves either medication to dissolve the blood clot, mechanical means, such as breaking it up using a catheter, or removing it by surgery according to the state of the patient.

What steps can I take if I have venous thrombosis?

You must continue the treatment your doctor has prescribed.
Train your veins by exercising regularly.
Make sure your body is moving enough if you have to sit for long periods of time, e.g. during flights. Walking around and special exercises for the legs that can also be done at your seat maintain blood flow in the legs and stimulate circulation generally.
Drink enough fluid.
Lose weight.
Avoid ingesting and inhaling harmful substances such as smoke.

How venous thrombosis becomes noticeable

Thrombosis refers to the partial or complete blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot, also known as a thrombus. It can appear in all blood vessels; generally it forms in veins, particularly in the deep leg and pelvic veins. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a disease that includes deep vein and pelvic thrombosis (DVT) and its most dangerous complication, pulmonary embolism (PE).

Venous thrombosis becomes noticeable due to:

Pain on pressure and movement and tension-type pain.
Change in skin colour (blue) and warmth of the affected limb.
Significant swelling and pain in the calf muscles when flexing the foot.

Shortness of breath and pain in the chest region are indications of pulmonary embolism – an acute emergency that could be fatal and requires that emergency services be contacted immediately.

A venous thrombosis is generally diagnosed by an ultrasound examination of the veins (sonography). Pulmonary embolism (PE) is generally verified using computed tomography or scintigraphy of the upper body. In addition to these imaging procedures, blood examinations are also carried out to confirm the diagnosis.

What causes venous thrombosis?

Thrombosis generally arises when the following three factors occur together:

Sluggish blood flow e.g. due to sitting for long periods of time or cramped sitting conditions, being bedridden, dilated veins (varicose veins) or heart failure.
Altered blood composition e.g. due to a lack of fluid, medication, toxins, pregnancy, a genetic predisposition to developing blood clots or a reduced ability to dissolve blood clots.
Damage to the inner wall of the vessels, which triggers coagulating processes e.g. in case of injuries, operations, diabetes mellitus or age-related degenerative changes.

An embolism can occur if some of the blood clot breaks off and is swept into an organ by the circulating blood. This blocks the supply of blood and therefore oxygen to the organ, leading to death of the tissue. In case of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot reaches the lung and blocks one or more branches of the pulmonary arteries. This occurs relatively frequently as venous blood is transported back to the heart from the legs and is then pumped directly to the lungs for oxygen uptake. If there is resistance to the flow of blood through the lungs, the body can no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen. The accumulation of blood places severe pressure on the heart leading to cardiac failure.

How is venous thrombosis treated?

Lowering the clotting ability of the blood by using so-called anticoagulants (wrongly called "blood thinners", e.g. Marcumar^® or a substance from the group of the newer non-Vitamin K dependent oral anticoagulants, the "NOACs").
Support venous blood flow by using compression measures. You can wear tight-fitting compression stockings.

What steps can I take if I have venous thrombosis?

You must continue the treatment your doctor has prescribed.
Train your veins by exercising regularly.
Make sure your body is moving enough when you have to sit for long periods of time, e.g. during flights. Walking around and special exercises for the legs that can also be done at your seat maintain blood flow in the legs and stimulate circulation generally.
Drink enough fluid.
Lose weight.
Avoid ingesting and inhaling harmful substances such as smoke.

Venous thromboembolism

How venous thrombosis becomes noticeable

What causes venous thrombosis?

How is venous thrombosis treated?

What steps can I take if I have venous thrombosis?

How venous thrombosis becomes noticeable

What causes venous thrombosis?

How is venous thrombosis treated?

What steps can I take if I have venous thrombosis?

Anticoagulant tolerance