Applying Elastic Stockings

What You Need To Know

Causes of Deep Vein Thrombosis

A DVT, or blood clot in a deep vein, is usually the result of a combination of 3 factors:

1. Slow or sluggish blood flow through a deep vein

  • Being restricted to bed
  • Heart disease, such as congestive heart failure
  • The period after surgery when activity is limited
  • Long hours of being inactive
  • Severe Obesity
  • Long hours traveling, such as by car, bus, or air
  • Sitting with the knees crossed, slowing blood flow
  • Age over 60

2. Tendency for the blood to clot quickly

  • Having major surgery, especially orthopedic
  • Person’s with active cancer
  • Smoking
  • Estrogen treatment (such as birth control pills)
  • Pregnancy and first 6 weeks after giving birth
  • Family history of blood clots
  • Dehydration

3. Irritation or inflammation of the lining of a vein

  • Injury from major accident or a medical procedure
  • Varicose veins

Treatment for DVT

There are three goals of treating a DVT:

  • Stop a blood clot from getting bigger
  • Prevent the blood clot from breaking off and moving to the lungs
  • Reduce the chances of having another blood clot

Medicines

The medicines used to prevent and treat DVT are anticoagulants, also commonly called blood thinners. An anticoagulant decreases the blood’s ability to clot and stops existing clots from getting bigger. An anticoagulant does notbreak up or dissolve a clot that has already formed.

The most common anticoagulants are:

  • Warfarin (Coumadin® is a brand name), taken in a tablet form.
  • Heparin, taken as an injection or shot.
  • Enoxaparin (low molecular weight heparin), taken as an injection or shot. The person’s doctor will choose the drug right for his or her condition. Treatment for a DVT can last from 3 to 6 months.

Graduated Compression or Elastic Stockings

Special compression or elastic stockings reduce two of the factors that cause a DVT:

  • Sluggish blood flow or pooling of blood
  • Injury to a vein wall.

The stockings keep pressure on the outside veins of the leg to prevent pooling of blood. Instead of just staying in the veins, the blood moves up and into the veins back to the heart.

The stockings also prevent veins from widening or enlarging, reducing the risk of tiny tears that injure the vein wall.

A person wears a stocking from the arch of the foot to just above or below the knee (depending on the type ordered by the doctor). The stockings are tight at the ankle and then become looser as they go up the leg. The gentle pressure from the stocking keeps blood from pooling.

Compression stockings are available over-the-counter, but prescription stockings are the best because they are specially fitted for the person.

Vena Cava Filter

The vena cava is one of the larger veins of the body. Sometimes when a person has had more than one DVT, or if the person isn’t able to take anticoagulants, that person may have a filter placed inside the vena cava.

The filter catches blood clots that break off in a vein before they move to the lung, therefore preventing a pulmonary embolus. The filter does not, however, stop new clots from forming.

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