Synonyms in a broader sense
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Phlebothrombosis
- Venous thrombosis
- Pelvic vein thrombosis
- Venous thrombosis
- Blood Clot
- Leg vein thrombosis
- Lower leg thrombosis
- Economy class syndrome
- Tourist Class Syndrome
- Airplane thrombosis
Definition Thrombosis
A thrombosis is the clotting of blood (formation of a clot) in the blood vessel system, which leads to a blood clot (thrombus) with a blockage of the blood vessel. This disrupts the blood circulation and results in blood congestion before the occlusion. Thrombosis comes from the Greek word “thrombosis”, which means “clotting”.
Cause and origin
The triad described by Rudolf Virchow in 1856 (Virchow Triad) for the development of a thrombosis is still valid today without any restrictions. In his triad, he described three main causes for the development of thrombosis: 1. slowing down the blood flow A slowing down or stoppage of the blood flow occurs naturally when there is insufficient movement or obstruction of blood vessels, e.g. due to long bending of the knee joints during long-haul flights (long-haul thrombosis, travel thrombosis). A lack of blood circulation also occurs after surgery.
Postoperative bed rest leads to insufficient activation of the muscle pump of the calf muscles. The walking process causes the calf muscles to tense up and thus presses the venous vessels empty, thus preventing the formation of thrombosis. Post-operative bed rest leads to increased bleeding – the risk of thrombosis increases.
High-risk patients for thrombosis include surgery on the artificial knee joint, artificial hip joint, prostate surgery and lung surgery. 2. changes in the composition of the blood The composition of the blood changes daily with the increase in fluid. The ratio of fluid to blood cells is about 50:50.
A lack of fluid leads to a shift in the ratio in favor of the blood cells (e.g. due to heavy sweating or lack of fluid gain). This causes the blood to thicken. The risk of thrombosis increases.
After surgery, the body reacts to blood loss with an increased tendency to clot in order to limit blood loss. As a result, the tendency to thrombosis also increases. 3. changesDamage to the vessel wallChangesDamage to the vessel wall occurs particularly in the arterial vascular system.
In the course of the aging process, increasing vascular calcification (arteriosclerosis) occurs. If this vascular calcification breaks out, a thrombosis immediately forms over the vascular defect. In the area of the coronary arteries, the consequence is that the area behind the thrombosis is no longer supplied with blood and a heart attack develops.
However, inflammation of the vessel wall can also lead to inflammation. The deep leg veins (2/3 of all thromboses) > pelvic veins are most frequently affected. Veins are particularly frequently affected due to the slow blood flow.
Thromboses of the veins are also called phlebothromboses. Other localizations are of the atrium of the heart, especially if there is atrial fibrillation. A thrombosis can also occur in the eye.
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