Minor leg injuries can pose a hidden danger. Even if a patient is laid up for a short-time. News 4 Medical Expert Doctor Peter Ostrow shows why we should be aware of the risk of blood clots.
A new report shows that leg injuries, a torn tendon or even a sprained knee or ankle, increase the risk of clotting in the veins of the leg. Vascular Surgeon Michael Vasquez wasn't surprised by that.
Dr. Michael Vasquez, U.B. - DeGraff Hospital, "There's swelling, there's some relative immobility, there may be pressure from the swelling on a vein that will lead to a clot."
If blood flow out of the leg is obstructed, a throimbus - commonly called a clot - may form in a deep vein. Deep vein thrombosis, or dvt, may cause pain and swelling in the legand a part of the thrombus may break off and travel to the lung as a pulmonary embolus - a potentially fatal complication.
Dr. Michael Vasquez, U.B. - DeGraff Hospital, "I've had patients with DVTS, I also know of a couple of individuals that have actually died as a result of a DVT."
Kimberly Peters is a Physical Therapist, so she knows about the risks of vein thrombosis, but she's also a patient. She's had episodes of inflammation in her veins.
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Read the rest of the article at WIVB.
