Blood clots, medically termed thrombosis, is a health aberration that occurs when a blood vessel develops a clot inside it which hinders the normal flow of blood. While in a healthy individual, clotting of blood at the site of a cut or scrape is quite a vital process as it helps prevent excessive bleeding. However, in some instances, a blood clot may form inside a blood vessel or an artery without any sustained damage, which may then get loose from the original site and travel through the circulatory system and may end up restricting blood supply to a vital organ leading to serious health complications.
Also Read: Deep Vein Thrombosis: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
What Are The Various Causes Of Formation Of A Blood Clot?
Some of the primary causative factors of blood clots include:
- Are 65 years or older
- Have had a recent surgery
- Take hormonal medications like birth control pills
- Have had cancer or are undergoing some therapy for it
- Have varicose veins
- Have heart problems
- Have had a treated blood clot before
- Have a family history of blood clot issues
- Are obese
- Have broken a bone in the hips, pelvis, or leg
- Have a bad bump or bruise
- Are confined to bed or a chair most of the time
- Have had a stroke or are paralyzed
- Have a special surgical port or opening in your body to get medications from the doctor
What Are The Available Treatment Options For Blood Clots?
The treatment options for a blood clot usually involve incorporating protective measures to diminish the size of the clot and prevent them from growing further and leading to pulmonary embolism. Once the size of the clot is distinctly reduced to a safer size, the doctor generally includes treatment to prevent the recurrence of further clots that might cause deep vein thrombosis.
Some of these treatment options include:
Blood Thinners: These are usually prescription oral anticoagulant medications, known as blood thinners in the common tongue that evidently interfere in the blood clotting process of the body and impede the growth of previously formed clots and hinder the formation of any new ones.
Also read: Blood Thinners Prevent Pulmonary Embolism
Clot Busters:
These include employing Thrombolytic therapy using thrombolytic medications, such as tissue plasminogen activators (tPAs) to dissolve the formed clots within a vital artery. Thrombolytic therapy is usually administered intravenously (via injections) in case of emergencies such as acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE).
Also Read: 5 Natural Blood Thinners That May Prevent Stroke
Compression Stockings:
It is a type of preventive therapy for individuals that have a family history or personal history of the formation of blood clots. It primarily involves wearing tight-fitting stockings that fit over the foot and loosen up while extending up to the calf or groin. These are designed in such a way that they apply recommended pressure in the lower limbs and assist the blood to flow out of the lower legs and back up towards the heart, helping relieve the symptoms of Postthrombotic syndrome (PTS).
Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters:
This is a small medical procedure that is usually conducted if oral anticoagulant therapy is contraindicated or ineffective in a patient. It usually involves inserting IVC filters (tiny screening devices) inside the Inferior Vena Cava (the long vital vein that transports the deoxygenated blood from the lower body to the heart). These IVC filters usually function by trapping blood clots circulating in the blood before they reach the lungs to prevent potentially life-threatening conditions like pulmonary embolism.
Surgical Interventions:
When the above-mentioned therapies are ineffective in a patient, the doctor usually conducts surgical procedures to safely remove or bypass the formed clot from the blood vessel. While a surgical procedure called Venous bypass surgery creates a new route for the blood to flow in the affected area, Thrombectomy removes the clot or thrombus from the blood vessel surgically.
How To Prevent Blood Clots?
The incidence of developing blood clots and worsening it into deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism can be prevented to a huge extent by following these preventive measures:
- Wearing loose-fitting clothes (especially on the lower body and limbs)
- Slip into compression stockings to promote blood flow in the lower limbs
- Quitting smoking and consuming tobacco in any form
- Changing sitting and standing positions often, especially on long journeys
- Avoid standing or sitting for no longer than an hour at a time
- Avert from sitting in a cross-legged manner for a long duration
- Evade from doing activities that may bump and knock the legs
- Ditch raising the legs above the level of the heart when lying down
- Drinking plenty of water and other fluids
- Eating less salt
- Incorporating exercise regimen
- Going for regular walks to be active
- Maintaining a healthy weight to prevent obesity
