 |
|
Mayo Clinic Proceedings studies risk factors for blood clots
June 01, 2005Long-haul flights, length of time under anesthesia increase risk
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The prolonged immobility of flight passengers during long-haul air travel increases the risk of developing blood clots, which could prove fatal especially to people whose travel occurs just prior to major surgery, medical researchers report in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"At medical institutions where patients are traveling a great distance for surgery, physicians should consider it as an additional risk factor for postoperative blood clots in the veins," says Juraj Sprung, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher in the Department of Anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The study was conducted by Dr. Sprung and others.
Dr. Sprung advises that physicians consider taking extra preventive measures with the patient during the flight and during and after the surgery.
The risk of blood clots prior to surgery and after surgery is explored in several articles in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, providing patients and clinicians with valuable advice to consider.
Dr. Sprung says that the study was prompted after a 37-year-old man, who had traveled about 4,800 miles in a transatlantic flight before surgery, died from a pulmonary embolism after the surgery.
The formation of a blood clot within one of the large, deep veins of the pelvis or lower limbs, often in the deep veins of the calf, thigh, knee or pelvis, is referred to as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A pulmonary embolism can form when the blood clot breaks into smaller pieces, floats in the blood and becomes lodged in the blood vessels supplying the lungs, which may result in sudden death.
Dr. Sprung and colleagues analyzed patient information at Mayo Clinic and found that of 181,765 patients who underwent operations between 1998 and 2002, a total of 3,736 lived outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico and traveled on average more than 5,000 miles prior to surgery. These long-haul travelers experienced over 30-times-higher incidence of dangerous blood clots or pulmonary embolisms within 28 days of surgery compared to the surgical patients who either did not travel or traveled within North America. The facts that an average age of these patients was much lower, and that blood clots occurred much earlier after surgery suggest that long distance travel before surgery represents an increased risk for dangerous clots (DVT) and its severe complications such as pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Sprung notes increased awareness among airlines and other agencies about the risks of blood clots forming during long-haul air travel, but additional measures may be needed for those who travel to have the surgery. He says several factors contribute to the risk of blood clots forming in the veins, including long periods of immobility during flight, restriction of leg veins due to compression on the legs from the edge of the seat, and possibly dehydration due to decreased fluid intake or excessive use of alcohol during the flight.
The authors recommend that patients traveling long distances prior to major surgery be told of the potential for increased risk of complications with blood clots. During the flight, patients can take preventive measures by staying well hydrated, exercising and wearing elastic compression stockings. High-risk patients also can benefit from prescribed medications to prevent the problems.
Authors of the study include Dr. Sprung, Ognjen Gajic, M.D.; David Warner, M.D.; Paul Decker; Rimki Rana, M.D., all of Mayo Clinic; and Denis Bourke, M.D., of the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
In a second study in Proceedings, researchers noted a marked association between the duration of anesthesia for patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery and blood clots in the veins after surgery.
Analysis of the patient data suggests a threshold of anesthesia duration that increased the odds of a patient having blood clots in the veins. The information indicates that 3.5 hours (210 minutes) is the threshold. The longer duration of anesthesia is usually related to how long it takes the orthopedic surgeon to perform a major joint replacement. It makes sense that this raises the risk of blood clots in the veins because the patient is supine and blood pools in the areas.
"Our findings may apply to other types of surgical procedures as well," says Daniel Brotman, M.D., the lead author of the paper and director of the hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Brotman and his colleagues recommend further study to examine the risk and prevention of postoperative blood clots in the veins and the relation to anesthesia duration. Approximately 500,000 patients undergo total joint arthroplasty, either hip or knee, in the United States each year. Patients are treated with drugs to combat the blood clots in the veins during surgery, but up to 38 percent may still develop the condition. And although they are small clots, approximately 5 percent result in a fatal pulmonary embolism.
In an editorial in the same issue of Proceedings, Samuel Goldhaber, M.D., of the Cardiovascular Division of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, writes that both studies are good reminders of the perils of postoperative deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms with general and orthopedic surgery.
"Despite the effectiveness of preventive measures that can be taken with patients for blood clots in the veins, it remains underused," says Dr. Goldhaber. Protocol-driven preventive care is definitely cost-effective and will serve patients well, he says.
Mayo Clinic
Dr. Sprung advises that physicians consider taking extra preventive measures with the patient during the flight and during and after the surgery.
The risk of blood clots prior to surgery and after surgery is explored in several articles in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, providing patients and clinicians with valuable advice to consider.
Dr. Sprung says that the study was prompted after a 37-year-old man, who had traveled about 4,800 miles in a transatlantic flight before surgery, died from a pulmonary embolism after the surgery.
The formation of a blood clot within one of the large, deep veins of the pelvis or lower limbs, often in the deep veins of the calf, thigh, knee or pelvis, is referred to as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A pulmonary embolism can form when the blood clot breaks into smaller pieces, floats in the blood and becomes lodged in the blood vessels supplying the lungs, which may result in sudden death.
Dr. Sprung and colleagues analyzed patient information at Mayo Clinic and found that of 181,765 patients who underwent operations between 1998 and 2002, a total of 3,736 lived outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico and traveled on average more than 5,000 miles prior to surgery. These long-haul travelers experienced over 30-times-higher incidence of dangerous blood clots or pulmonary embolisms within 28 days of surgery compared to the surgical patients who either did not travel or traveled within North America. The facts that an average age of these patients was much lower, and that blood clots occurred much earlier after surgery suggest that long distance travel before surgery represents an increased risk for dangerous clots (DVT) and its severe complications such as pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Sprung notes increased awareness among airlines and other agencies about the risks of blood clots forming during long-haul air travel, but additional measures may be needed for those who travel to have the surgery. He says several factors contribute to the risk of blood clots forming in the veins, including long periods of immobility during flight, restriction of leg veins due to compression on the legs from the edge of the seat, and possibly dehydration due to decreased fluid intake or excessive use of alcohol during the flight.
The authors recommend that patients traveling long distances prior to major surgery be told of the potential for increased risk of complications with blood clots. During the flight, patients can take preventive measures by staying well hydrated, exercising and wearing elastic compression stockings. High-risk patients also can benefit from prescribed medications to prevent the problems.
Authors of the study include Dr. Sprung, Ognjen Gajic, M.D.; David Warner, M.D.; Paul Decker; Rimki Rana, M.D., all of Mayo Clinic; and Denis Bourke, M.D., of the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
In a second study in Proceedings, researchers noted a marked association between the duration of anesthesia for patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery and blood clots in the veins after surgery.
Analysis of the patient data suggests a threshold of anesthesia duration that increased the odds of a patient having blood clots in the veins. The information indicates that 3.5 hours (210 minutes) is the threshold. The longer duration of anesthesia is usually related to how long it takes the orthopedic surgeon to perform a major joint replacement. It makes sense that this raises the risk of blood clots in the veins because the patient is supine and blood pools in the areas.
"Our findings may apply to other types of surgical procedures as well," says Daniel Brotman, M.D., the lead author of the paper and director of the hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Brotman and his colleagues recommend further study to examine the risk and prevention of postoperative blood clots in the veins and the relation to anesthesia duration. Approximately 500,000 patients undergo total joint arthroplasty, either hip or knee, in the United States each year. Patients are treated with drugs to combat the blood clots in the veins during surgery, but up to 38 percent may still develop the condition. And although they are small clots, approximately 5 percent result in a fatal pulmonary embolism.
In an editorial in the same issue of Proceedings, Samuel Goldhaber, M.D., of the Cardiovascular Division of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, writes that both studies are good reminders of the perils of postoperative deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms with general and orthopedic surgery.
"Despite the effectiveness of preventive measures that can be taken with patients for blood clots in the veins, it remains underused," says Dr. Goldhaber. Protocol-driven preventive care is definitely cost-effective and will serve patients well, he says.
Mayo Clinic
Blood Clots Current Events and Blood Clots News RSSWhen seconds count: Interventional radiology treatment for pulmonary embolism saves lives
Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis-an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs-saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
Blood test identifies women at risk from Alzheimer's
Middle-aged women with high levels of a specific amino acid in their blood are twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer's many years later, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence
Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival.
Stanford study recommends change in treating pulmonary embolisms
William Kuo, MD, was the on-call interventional radiologist one Friday night three years ago when he received a call from the intensive care unit at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
Increased stroke risk from birth control pills
She was only 30 years old, but she was experiencing the classic symptoms of a stroke. Her speech suddenly became slurred, and her left hand became clumsy while eating.
Smoking gun: just 1 cigarette has harmful effect on the arteries of young healthy adults
Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, according to research presented by Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
Blood clots in lungs might not always originate in deep veins of legs and pelvis in trauma patients
Few trauma patients who develop potentially deadly blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism) also have clots in the deep veins of their pelvis and legs (deep venous thrombosis), challenging commonly held beliefs about the association between the two conditions.
Super sticky barnacle glue cures like blood clots
Barnacles are a big problem for boats. Adhering to the undersides of vessels, carpets of the crustaceans can increase fuel consumption by as much as 25%.
Study details safe, effective, minimally invasive mitral valve repair
Surgical treatment for mitral valve disease includes either repairing the patient's diseased valve or replacing it with a metal, mechanical valve or an animal tissue valve.
Women with Atrial Fibrillation Are at Significantly Higher Risk of Stroke and Death Compared to Men and Receive Less Attention
Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences, and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.
More Blood Clots Current Events and Blood Clots News Articles
 |
BLOOD CLOT: In Combat with the Patrols Platoon, 3 Para, Afghanistan 2006 by Jake Scott (Author) "As you know 'blood clot' means blood cells coming together to form a strong clot that forms and sticks together to keep the wound sealed enabling it to repair. The Parachute Regiment's 'blood clot' acts the same, whether downtown scrapping or in some far away country fighting alongside each other. Our maroon berets come together, they stick together, they close ranks forming the blood clot and fight against anything that comes their way." (Jake Scott) When the 3 Para battle group departed for Helmand Province, south Afghanistan, nobody really knew what to expect. Within a month of being on the ground the first of many contacts between the Taliban and British forces began. The British government and media were in shock - for the men on the ground it was what they were trained for.... |
 |
Celox First Aid Temporary Traumatic Wound Treatment - 15g Pouch by SAMMedical CELOXTM is the newest generation of emergency hemostatic agents. Simpler to use and safer than older technologies, CELOX granules quickly control even severe arterial bleeding. Just pour it in, pack it, and apply pressure. No specific training is required. CELOX is not exothermic and won't burn the victim or caregiver. And CELOX works in hypothermic conditions and clots Heparinized blood. CELOX is safe to use for the entire body including head, neck and chest wounds. Most importantly, CELOX can be used instantly and without hesitation as a fast, safe and simple emergency treatment for serious bleeding. Average Time to Clot Whole Blood: 30.5 Seconds Average Time to Clot Heparinized Blood: 48 Seconds Controls Major Arterial Bleeding CELOXs unusual properties have been confirmed in wound... |
 |
Mr. Blood Clot Dimentia 13 (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Deadly Blood Clots: The Dangers of Venous Thromboembolism Part of the award winning public television series Healthy Body/Healthy Mind. The dangers of blood clots are well known: they can cause heart attacks, strokes and other potentially fatal conditions. But there's another medical hazard that occurs when the blood clot lives quietly deep in the veins of the legs. And when a part of this blood clot breaks off and travels to the lung the result can be almost instantaneous death. This type of blood clot is called deep vein thrombosis and when it travels to the lungs its called pulmonary embolism. And these are two manifestations of the condition known as venous thromboembolism. In this program we will examine the symptoms and risk factors of venous thromboembolism, see who should be tested for clotting disorders and highlight the latest... |
 |
Silver Star Blood Clot Men's Tee, L, WH by TITLE Boxing 100% Cotton |
 |
Z-Med QuikClot - Home (1 pack) by Z-Medica QuikClot Sport brand hemostatic agent is based on the same QuikClot brand hemostatic agent used by the US military, federal agencies, EMS, police and fire departments everywhere. Remove the QuikClot Sport from the package, apply to the wound using pressure and stop the bleeding fast. QuikClot Sport is ideal for schools, individual and team sports, wilderness medicine and even home use. This product is the perfect size for scalp lacerations or bleeding where a bandage is not enough. Every home first aid kit and sports athletic trainer's first aid kit should contain QuikClot Sport brand hemostatic. |
|
Deadly Blood Clots: The Dangers Of Venous Thromboembolism Directed By: Information Television Network | |
 |
Olympian Labs Nattokinase, 100mg by Olympian Labs Nattokinase is a serine protease type enzyme derived from fermented soybeans. Research has shown nattokinase to support healthy coagulation of blood and enhance fibrinolytic (breaking up of clots) activity. Fibrin is a protein that, when activated, forms fibrinogen which is responsible for blood clotting. OL uses only the highly bioavailable, proprietary extract of natto. |
 |
Sure Clot - 1/2 ounce by BIO DERM Now you can stop the worry and bleeding caused by accidents or grooming procedures! New Sure Clot is a fast-acting styptic powder and is specially developed to help stop bleeding from clipping nails, docking tails, trimming beaks and other types of minor cuts. |
 |
Arriva Travel-Tec- SCT Travel Legwear (Womens, Black) by Sox Shop LIMITED TIME OFFER! We are so confident that you will love these socks, we are offering them at nearly half of what they retail for! Combined with the circulatory advantages of Smart Compression Technology®, Travel-Tec Holofiber® Legwear provides unparalleled comfort for all of life's journeys. We have done our research and find our socks to be competitivly priced, as travel legwear(with compression) can cost upwards of $50! These socks represent the best in comfort and value, as they contain the most allowable amount of linear compression (12-16mmHG) in a non-medical product. We stand behind all our products with our No Risk Guarantee and are confident you will not find a better travel sock, especially with the benefits of holofiber and SCT(Smart Compression Technology). Holofiber... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |