

Personal or family history of DVT or pulmonary embolism.Several factors can affect blood flow in the deep veins and increase the risk for developing blood clots. Your doctor will take steps to prevent DVT if you have a major fracture or are having lower extremity surgery-including total hip or total knee replacement. For this reason, doctors focus on preventing the development of DVT using different types of therapies, depending upon a patient's needs. In many cases, DVT occurs without noticeable symptoms and is very difficult to detect. This damage can lead to long-term problems in the leg such as pain, swelling, and leg sores. Even if a blood clot does not break free, it may cause permanent damage to the valves in the vein. Although rare, this complication-called a pulmonary embolism-can be fatal. If a blood clot breaks free, it may travel through the bloodstream and block blood flow to the lungs. While there are a number of risk factors for developing a DVT, two of the most common are an injury to your lower body and surgery that involves your hips or legs.Ī DVT can have serious consequences. This can happen if a vein becomes damaged or if the blood flow within a vein slows down or stops. Preventing Blood Clots After Orthopaedic Surgeryĭeep vein thrombosis, or DVT, occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins of the body.
