Experts: Deep vein thrombosis a risk on bus and train trips too

Experts: Deep vein thrombosis a risk on bus and train trips too TRAVEL NEWS tvnz.co.nz: "Experts: DVT not just a plane risk"



Deadly blood clots are just as likely to form from long-distance train and bus trips as they are from international air travel, experts have warned.
Australian vascular specialists have backed calls by Indian medics to increase understanding around the dangers of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in prolonged land travel.
The medics from India's Government Medical College write in the latest Medical Journal of Australia of a fresh case of a 35-year-old man who developed DVT after a 14-hour train journey in cramped conditions.
"Any journey of more than four hours poses a risk for DVT," Professor Jeet Kashyap wrote, with people who are overweight, pregnant or on the oral contraceptive carrying an even greater risk.
"This case highlights the importance of considering all types of prolonged travel as potential risk factors for DVT."
Robert Lusby, a professor of vascular surgery at the University of Sydney, said the risk of land travel on DVT was poorly understood by Australians.
"Australia is a very big country so the risk posed by DVT, particularly in long distance car and bus travel, is very real," Prof Lusby said.
He said he had treated several cases of DVT caused by long bus trips, "and it's very likely we match India with cases on our trains".
"The risk is there for any travel where you sit for long periods with your knees bent and a lack of movement, which is, of course, the case on most of the bigger trips across our country," Prof Lusby said.
Travel-related DVT, first identified in 1954, is the forming of leg clots caused by poor blood flow into the calf muscle.
Symptoms usually develop between one and eight weeks after a trip.
Professor Lusby said he advises people to stretch their legs wherever possible.
"On car journeys it's important to make the effort to stop and get out every hour or so just to get the blood circulating properly," he said.

Compression socks have style : Local Health : Evansville Courier Press

Compression socks have style

NEW YORK — For students in the fashion program at Parsons The New School of Design, beauty is more than skin deep: They recently staged a full-on runway show, complete with celebrity models, to draw attention to deep-vein thrombosis.

They weren't working on coming up with the sexiest, most fashion-forward items. They weren't even really going for fashion.

Instead their show was a competition to see who could create the funkest, eye-catching sock.
Yes, a sock.
With dozens of ribbon colors and rubber wrist-band styles already taken in the name of dozens of worthy causes, those looking to garner support and publicity for their issues now find they need to look to novel concepts.
And just finding a cool symbol isn't good enough. It also needs to be easily transferrable to a wide range of products and different kinds of marketing media, making it truly identifiable in a single glance.
Working with the Coalition to Prevent DVT, Parsons students tackled socks because wearing compression socks can prevent deadly blood clots from forming in the legs, says Melanie Bloom, coalition spokeswoman, and wife of NBC newsman David Bloom, who died of a DVT-induced pulmonary embolism while covering the Iraq War in 2003.

DVT because of inactivity?

Terry's Tidbits: My Wake Up Call

Possibly my week of watching college basketball was not very good for me, although I am on my feet all day while at work. I am not the most active person when away from work and I will be the first to admit that I am overweight. I don’t recall injuring my leg; however I am always bumping it against something at home or at work. My dad also has a history of blood clots that started when he was about my age. I suppose the cause for my blood clot could be any combination of these.

The blood clot should dissolve on its own. There are things I can do to lessen my chances or to prevent another blood clot. Now, I will probably wearing support stockings or compression socks for the rest of my life. I will also be taking blood thinners such as coumadin or warfarin. My other big lifestyle change will include walking regularly to get exercise and stimulate circulation.

Vital Signs - Risks - Study Ties Dirty Air to Blood Clots in Legs - NYTimes.com

Vital Signs - Risks - Study Ties Dirty Air to Blood Clots in Legs - NYTimes.com: "Exposure to air pollution increases the risk for deep vein thrombosis, the blood clots that commonly occur in the leg veins. And the worse the air pollution, the higher the risk."

Driving you to Danger - Preventing Blood Clots (DVT) During Long Trips

This short online video shows the effects of long travel trips and causes of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots. See LegHealth.com for more details. Prevention of Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Blood Clots During Long Trips

Preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis DVT

Video from the Today Show with Melanie Bloom discussing ways to prevent DVT.
Great summary of DVT risk factors. More information at
PreventDVT.org

About DVT
Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common but serious medical condition that occurs in approximately two million Americans each year. DVT occurs when a thrombus (blood clot) forms in one of the large veins, usually in the lower limbs, leading to either partially or completely blocked circulation. The condition may result in health complications, such as a pulmonary embolism (PE) and even death if not diagnosed and treated effectively.

The best way to reduce your risk of DVT is to talk to your doctor about your risks, especially if you have cancer or certain heart or respiratory diseases.

Eat wisely, fly safely

Advice on eating to avoid DVT while Traveling

The sheer immobility of sitting in a plane (or coach, train or car) for more than four hours slows down the blood flow, and flying in a pressurised cabin can cause a further problem because some of the fluid component of your blood moves into surrounding tissues (the process which causes our ankles and feet to swell when we fly).

This makes our blood thicker and more prone to clotting.
If you add a meal rich in saturated fat into the mix, the problem may intensify, because saturated fats raise the levels of blood-fats after eating, which activates a substance called Factor 7 — a central component of the blood-clotting mechanism.

“While no specific clinical research has been done to find out if one-off fatty meals in-flight will push you over the edge and trigger DVT,” says the nutrition scientist Sarah Stanner of the British Nutrition Foundation, “in theory, eating fatty meals could make a difference”.

Many airlines have responded by offering lighter food options — indicated by their Well-Being symbol — which include dishes lower in fat, salt and sugar and higher in fibre (BA does this).
It is also a good idea to contact the airline before you fly and order a special meal. Virgin airlines offer a “low fat/low cholesterol” option, for example, which is well worth looking for.

If this is not possible, and you find yourself confronted with a standard in-flight main meal, then try to cut down on one of the following: the relatively harmless-looking cheese and biscuits, the extra butter that goes with your bread roll, the synthetic puddings and treats like ice cream that many airlines offer between meals.

Doctors Unite In Their Fight Against Economy Class Syndrome

Doctors Unite In Their Fight Against Economy Class Syndrome

Air travel is associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of developing thrombosis, experts said at the 12th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Vienna (Austria). Doctors urge the EU and national governments to help make air travel safer by supporting research into preventing travelers' thrombosis.

The case of a young English woman who died shortly after a long haul flight from Australia in 2000 has gradually faded from public consciousness. That is unfortunate. Her death highlighted a problem that has long been grossly neglected: the risk to air travelers of venous thrombosis. A contributing factor to the cramped seating in economy class flights may be specific to the cabin environment, i.e. the low air pressure.

With two billion people boarding a plane annually, the danger venous thrombosis presents should be taken very seriously, says Professor Frits R. Rosendaal, from the Leiden University Medical Center (NL), at the European Hematology Association Congress meeting in Vienna from 7 to 10 June 2007. A recent WHO project (the WRIGHT, or WHO Research Into Global Hazards of Travel, project), the results of which are about to be made public, has shown that air travel is associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of developing blood clots in the legs, (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) or in the lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE)."

The risks of developing thrombosis when traveling are higher for people with certain common abnormalities in the blood, for women who use birth control pills, or people who use sleeping pills on a flight, as well as for people who are very tall, very short, or overweight", Professor Rosendaal says. "There may be a 50 to 100-fold increase in risk for people with combinations of those factors."

DVT Support Socks could replace drugs as lifeline for 1m hospital patients

DVT Support Socks could replace drugs as lifeline for 1m hospital patients

Up to a million hospital patients at risk of deadly blood clots will be given stockings to wear in bed, rather than drugs, according to Health Service guidelines.

At least 25,000 patients die every year - 25 times the number killed by the suberbug MRSA - after suffering deep vein thrombosis following a hospital operation.

Last week a highly critical report from MPs warned that the NHS was systematically underestimating the threat, leading to 500 unnecessary deaths a week.

They demanded urgent measures to combat blood-clotting, which costs the NHS £640million a year despite preventative drugs costing just £1 a day.

But new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, being sent to all hospitals in England and Wales, say only patients aged 60 and over should be routinely considered for bloodthinning drugs.

Up to a million patients aged between 40 and 60 will instead be given compression stockings to wear in hospital, and possibly inflatable "boots" during an operation to encourage blood flow to the legs.

DVT Blood Clot Risk for Office Workers

View research article and listen to Podcast interview



New Study Reveals Risks of S.I.T. - Seated Immobility Thromboembolism

The new study found that 34 per cent of patients admitted to hospital with blood clots had been seated at work for long periods, its leader, Richard Beasley of New Zealand's privately funded Medical Research Institute, said. Deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a condition in which a blood clot forms in the deep veins of the legs.

The condition can be fatal if part of the clot breaks off and blocks a blood vessel in the lungs. The condition has been linked to long-haul flights and dubbed “economy class syndrome,” because passengers traveling coach often do not have the space or opportunity to stretch enough to reduce the risk of blood clotting. “Being seated for long periods of time ... the risk is certainly there” of blood clots developing in the veins of the legs.

“There are considerably more people who are seated for long periods at work as part of their normal day than there are traveling,” he said, adding the main groups affected are workers in the information technology industry and in call centers. The study covered 62 patients aged under 65 who were admitted to hospital with blood clots. Professor Beasley said a surprise finding of the study was that “people are working for so long.

We had people not uncommonly working up to 12-14 hours a day and being seated for that time”. The 34 per cent finding is far higher than the 1.4 per cent of blood-clot patients who recently traveled on long-haul flights, and the study showed a clear link between travel and work-related thrombosis. “It's the same thing occurring in a similar circumstance as travelers' thrombosis,” he noted.

Some reported being seated on the job for three to four hours at a stretch, “reflecting the very sedentary nature of our work at the moment,” he said. A second study of seated immobility at work had results “very consistent with what we've found” in the first, Professor Beasley said without elaborating.

The study will be published next month in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Detecting Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) CBS News Video

Recently, Vice President Dick Cheney was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot that can occur during air travel. Dr. Emily Senay discusses the dangers and symptoms of DVT with Julie Chen

DVT Awareness Online Video - MSNBC

March 7, 2007:

Melanie Bloom and Dr. Frank Michota talk with TODAY's Ann Curry about deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and how people can be aware of the symptoms and risk factors.

Cheney Diagnosed With Blood Clot (DVT)

Cheney Diagnosed With Blood Clot, VP Will Be Treated With Blood Thinners After Experiencing Mild Discomfort In Leg - CBS News:

Vice President Dick Cheney complained of pain in his left leg Monday and doctors discovered he has a blood clot that could be fatal if left untreated. The 66-year-old, who has a history of heart problems, will be treated with blood thinning medication for several months, said spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.

Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President who has previously suffered four heart attacks, is undergoing medical treatment after developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his left leg during a tour of the Asia-Pacific last week.
The blood-clotting condition - nicknamed 'economy class syndrome' because people who fly in cramped conditions are usually most at risk - was diagnosed in the 66-year-old yesterday.
Despite travelling in comfort in an exclusive compartment on Air Force Two, Mr Cheney is still prone to the condition because of his history of blood clotting and heart attacks.
The Vice-President, whose first attack came when he was just 38 years old, last week travelled 25,000 miles and spent 65 hours in the air during a nine-day trip to Japan, Australia, Pakistan, Oman and Afghanistan.

Watch CBS videos

Vacuum Method Breaks Up DVT Blood Clots

Research Update: Method Breaks Up DVT Blood Clots:

"A new non-surgical treatment for the removal of blood clots appears to be safer, faster and more effective than traditional therapies in reducing the risk for pulmonary embolism and disability among patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT)."