Deep Vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is an “acute venous obstruction…secondary to a thrombus in a deep vein of the lower extremities” (Banasik & Copstead, 2019, p. 333). A thrombus is a blood clot that can be formed in the blood vessel (ex. Atherosclerosis) or one of the chambers of the heart (ex. Abnormal heart rhythm).

It is more common for a thrombi to develop in the peripheral circulatory system.

The coagulation cascade will produce a hypercoagulable state, which will result in thrombosis (Banasik & Copstead, 2019). A piece of clot can break off and travel through the circulatory system and cause an obstruction in the pulmonary system, which is then called a pulmonary embolism.

According to the video, “Go with the Flow”, in Samantha’s case, her DVT was due to due her knee surgery.

Her signs and symptoms showed that she may have a pulmonary embolism. She exhibited signs and symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, and low blood pressure.

Prompt 2:

There are various treatments for deep vein thrombosis. If a patient is hospitalized, an anticoagulation therapy is needed; however, some patients can be treated with anticoagulation oral medication such as Warfarin, Dabigatran, or Edoxaban (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).

If they previously had DVT, then they will undergo hypercoagulation and long-term prophylactic anticoagulation with the addition of antiplatelet therapy (Banasik & Copstead, 2019). It is important to assess the patient for any bleeding because the anticoagulation will result in severe blood lost, which can result in hypovolemic shock.

Thoughts? Agree or disagree?