CONDITIONS TREATED
DVT check and flight advice
What is a DVT check?
When normal blood clotting goes wrong, a potentially harmful clot or thrombosis may form. This can occur in a narrowed, blocked or damaged blood vessel or because of prolonged inactivity, such as being bed-ridden or taking a long flight. You are more likely to be at risk if you have damaged the deep veins in your legs in an earlier accident. If you are planning a long flight or are a frequent flyer, you may want to get advice about the risk factors of DVT relative to your medical history.
What symptoms may I have?
You may be one of the 50% of people with DVT who experience no symptoms. Or you may notice:
- Your leg or a vein in your leg may be swollen
- Your leg may be painful or tender, particularly if you walk or stand
- The swollen or painful area may also feel warmer
- There is red or discoloured skin on the leg
More seriously, if the clot has moved there is the danger of Pulmonary Embolism, the symptoms for which may be the first sign that you have a DVT. These symptoms include:
- Unexplained shortness of breath
- Pain with deep breathing
- Coughing up blood
Rapid breathing and a fast heart rate also may be signs of PE.
Diagnosis
In a DVT check your doctor will look at your medical history - current health, prescriptions, recent surgeries or injuries, any cancer treatment - and then carry out a physical examination, checking blood pressure, heart and lungs. A blood test can also show if you have an inherited blood clotting disorder that could cause DVT. Further common tests to diagnose DVT are:
Duplex a non-invasive ultrasound examination which is very accurate and gives a map of the deep and superficial veins as well as identifying any thrombus.
A D-dimer test - this can show whether the body's clot defence system has been activated, with high levels of D-dimer showing you may have a deep vein blood clot.
Other less common tests used to diagnose DVT include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanning.
You may need blood tests to check whether you have an inherited blood clotting disorder that can cause DVT. You may have this type of disorder if you have repeated blood clots that can't be linked to another cause, or if you develop a blood clot in an unusual location, such as a vein in the liver, kidney, or brain.
Further tests may be necessary if you show symptoms of pulmonary embolism.
Treatment/Surgical Intervention
Immediate treatment will aim to stop any blood clot from expanding or breaking off and moving to more dangerous sites within your body, such as your lungs or brain. Medication will reduce your chance of further clots, the most common being anticoagulants to thin the blood and stop existing clots from getting larger. Warfarin and heparin are two blood thinners used to treat DVT. Warfarin is given in pill form and Heparin is given as an injection or through an IV tube, but you may be treated with both at the same time. If you a pregnant woman, only heparin will be suitable. During treatment you should expect regular blood tests to check on your blood's ability to clot and monitor your medication.
If you are not suitable for blood-thinning medicines, or clots still form while you are taking them, a filter may be inserted into the vena cava vein to catch any clots that break away and move towards the lungs, preventing a pulmonary embolism from forming. This filter does not prevent new blood clots from forming.